TAMPA – Derrick Brooks has officially announced his retirement from the NFL, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will honor their iconic linebacker at a media gathering Thursday.
Brooks confirmed his retirement with a message posted this morning on his official online video site, derrickbrooks.tv. It was taped at Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School.
“This is my official retirement announcement,” Brooks said in the video. “I simply want to say thank you to all you fans who supported Derrick Brooks as well as the Buccaneers throughout my 14 years.”
Brooks, 37, was released by the Bucs during a veteran purge on Feb. 25, 2009, that also claimed running back Warrick Dunn. Brooks had a workout in New Orleans last summer, but was not signed by the Saints, who went on to win the Super Bowl.
The league’s Defensive Player of the Year during Tampa Bay’s 2002 championship season, Brooks registered a franchise-record 2,196 career tackles in 14 seasons, almost twice as many stops as runnerup Ronde Barber. He made the Pro Bowl 11 times, including 10 consecutive seasons beginning in 1997, and he’ll be initially eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014.
Brooks, who was raised in Pensacola before starring at Florida State University, remains very active in charitable organizations throughout the Bay area. He is preparing for his second year as an NFL analyst on ESPN and also works as a commentator for Sirius Radio.
Brooks’ abrupt departure from the Bucs, announced jointly by general manager Mark Dominik and head coach Raheem Morris, came as a shock to the franchise cornerstone. Because he didn’t leave on his own terms, Brooks and the organization he represented with distinction for 14 years grew distant.
It was an awkward situation for all concerned, with the Bucs reluctant to honor Brooks in style until he was formally retired. None of the 80 players in training camp this year has been assigned the No. 55 jersey Brooks wore as he evolved into the prototypical weakside linebacker in a swarming Cover 2 defense that spread throughout the league.
After his rookie season in 1995, Brooks started 208 consecutive games for Tampa Bay until he was released.
On Thursday, Brooks is planning to return to the team facility for a 1:30 p.m. news conference that promises to be highly emotional.
Third-year pro Geno Hayes replaced Brooks as a starter in 2009, and the two former Seminoles have remained close. When asked last week about the relationship between Hayes and his mentor, Morris lauded Brooks as the ultimate professional.
“I’m trying to get Brooks in here,” Morris said. “That’s my guy. I owe half my career to Brooks. You have to leave the game at some point and Derrick left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But he didn’t really leave us. He just set up the mold for us in terms of what you look for – character on the field, character off the field and character in your post-NFL career. There’s no better role model than Derrick Brooks.”
