Miami Dolphins pass rusher Jason Taylor says goodbye to football after 15 seasons – NFL Update
Miami Dolphins’ veteran pass rusher, Jason Taylor, has finally said goodbye to the National Football League (NFL) after 15 prestigious seasons in his career as a professional.
The 2011 regular season finale for the Dolphins against the New York Jets, in which he contributed in New York's elimination, proved to be his last game.
"Playing this game was a privilege. It was so good to me. I'll miss it. I'm the luckiest man in the world. For the last 15 years, I've been able to play a kid's game and get paid to do it", Taylor said.
The Dolphins’ linebacker had a colourful career, in which 13 seasons were spent with Miami.
Taylor spent one season with the Washington Redskins, and one with New York Jets as well.
He concluded his career playing for the Dolphins against his former team, the New York Jets, which was also a very emotional moment for the player.
Taylor’s sack record is one of the highest in the history of the NFL.
He has 139.5 sacks to his credit, ranking him at the sixth position in the league after Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Kevin Greene, Chris Doleman and Michael Strahan, yet he is on the top in the history for the Miami franchise.
Miami Dolphins’ owner, Stephen Ross, who spent a long time with the player was unhappy at Taylor’s retirement, saying that Taylor’s contribution for the Dolphins’ team on the field will be remembered for a long time and he will always remain an integral
part of the “Dolphin family”.
Taylor was also known for his time with the Jets and coach, Rex Ryan, who certainly did not forget to remember him.
Ryan said that he was happy to have had Taylor on his team, with whom the Jets managed to reach the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game, back in 2010.
The 37-year-old has not made his intentions clear as to what he would be doing in the future.
He had earlier said that changing his number would be one of the first things to do in order to avoid all contact by clubs, wanting to grab him for another season or two.
"Nothing is going to replace professional football. There's no place like an NFL locker room. Those guys become your family for seven months of the year. You won't replace that. But I'll find something else", Taylor added.
Jason Taylor has played 204 games and was selected for the Pro Bowl six times, along with having received the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2006.
He has also been working for a charity called the Jason Taylor Foundation, which is a non-profit organisation that helps children with regard to education and healthcare.
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