James Laurinaitis, the longtime Rams linebacker and brief member of the Saints, is officially done tackling opposing ball-carriers. On Tuesday, Laurinaitis announced his retirement from football at the age of 30.
In his statement, which he posted to Twitter, he thanked both of the teams he played for and the fans. He said that he was retiring because, “The body says it’s time to move on.”
“With offseason programs starting back up, the thing I’m going to miss the most is the locker room,” he wrote. “The conversations and relationships I built with all that I’ve battled with will be my favorite memories. Players, coaches, equipment staff, medical staff, community outreach, marketing, you name it, the people I’ve met through this game is what I’ll take with me. I’ve been blessed way more through the game of football than I could’ve ever imagined. I’ve been able to live my dreams that started as a fourth grader and I’m grateful.
“Thank you to the Rams organization for drafting me and giving me the opportunity to pursue my dreams! You gave me a chance to play the game I love for seven years and I gave you everything I had in St. Louis. Thank you to the Saints organization for the ability to play one last year.”
Here’s his complete message:
— James Laurinaitis (@JLaurinaitis55) April 11, 2017
Laurinaitis retires as the Rams’ all-time leading tackler with 654 tackles in seven seasons. He never missed a start for the Rams, though he appeared in only six games with the Saints a season ago because of a quad injury. In November, he was waived from the team.
In the end, Laurinaitis accumulated 663 tackles, 16.5 sacks and 10 interceptions in his career.