Neck injury forces Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Chris Hoke to call it quits - NFL News
Pittsburgh Steelers' nose tackle (NT), Chris Hoke, after having spent past three months on the Injured Reserve (IR) list due to a neck injury, called it quits from the professional football league on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.
Hoke was injured in Steelers' game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in October 2011, and has not played a game or practiced since then.
He spent as many as eleven years with the team and was successful in most of his starts for the team during the decade.
One of the key highlights of his performance for the team was their finishing of a season at 17-1, with him at the starting position.
His team had placed him on the IR list following his neck injury, which was described to be season-threatening.
There was an uncertainty around the possibility of him announcing his retirement from the National Football League (NFL).
Hoke’s decision of calling it a day came as a surprise for many of his teammates. A majority of them have spoken highly of the NT's presence in the team.
He was very popular among the players for his sense of humour and ability to get mixed with them easily. His fun-driven attitude in the locker room made him the most talked about personality in the team.
It was his neck injury that has proven to be a major setback in the career of the player, diminishing his hopes to return to play football for another couple of years.
Nothing has been said with regard to the announcement of Hoke’s retirement by his team management. They are yet to come with their choice of signing a replacement for the player.
It is for the second consecutive week that a Steelers' community member has announced retirement.
Their assistant coaching staff, Bruce Arians called it quits from the team a week earlier. His decision was reported to be controversial, amidst refusal of the team management to renew his deal.
Now, Hoke has become the first player to have opted out of the side and league in the postseason.
He has played 114 games in total since his joining as a rookie NT in 2001. He finished the career with 81 tackles and two sacks.
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2011 National Football League (NFL) regular season with 12 wins and four losses. They ended the run with the loss of their wild card game against the Denver Broncos.
Although none of his departments were pinpointed to be leading on the responsibility of their loss in the wild card game, their defence was at the forefront of their poor showoff on the field.
The team had allowed as many as 45 points scored against them, while they themselves could manage only 10.
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