Michael Strahan will stay in retirement
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 9:55 AM PDT
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| Mike Derer | Associated Press
In this June 10, 2008 file photo, New York Giants Michael Strahan talks about his retirement from football during a news conference at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Strahan has the New York Giants waiting again. A year after making them wait an entire training camp on a retirement decision, No. 92 has the Super Bowl champions waiting to see if he will come out of retirement. |
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Michael Strahan isn’t doing a Brett Favre.
The seven-time Pro Bowler decided to stay retired after seriously considering a request by the Super Bowl champion New York Giants to return to the team in the wake of a season-ending injury to fellow star defensive end Osi Umenyiora.
‘‘He was very close to returning, but the great part about Michael is that he takes his time to think about things and he is very thorough,’’ Tony Agnone said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday night.
Agnone said that Strahan struggled deciding whether he could give 100 percent mentally.
‘‘In the end, he felt he could not get back to where he was,’’ Agnone said.
The first report of Strahan’s decision was provided by FoxSports.com, which contacted Strahan in Greece where he was vacationing.
‘‘This has been one of the toughest nights of my life,’’ Strahan told FoxSports.com.
Giants general manager Jerry Reese had asked the 36-year-old Strahan to reconsider his retirement on Monday, just 48 hours after the team lost two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora to a knee injury in the preseason game against the New York Jets.
Strahan needed just about a day to turn down an offer to return for a 16th season with what could have been an $8 million contract.
Agnone said money was never an issue.
‘‘We know the parameters of the contract and the Giants would have been generous,’’ Agnone said.
Reese did not seem surprised by the decision.
‘‘We knew it was a long shot, but we owed it to ourselves to exhaust the possibility,’’ Reese said late Tuesday evening. ‘‘We appreciate Michael even considering ending his retirement. He has a new career in front of him and we wish him nothing but the best. As we all said when he announced his retirement, Michael was and is a great Giant.’’
The Giants moved Mathias Kiwanuka from linebacker to defensive end on Monday to take over for Umenyiora, who had successful knee surgery on Tuesday morning and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.
The move will not be a major one for Kiwanuka. He was drafted in the first round in 2006 as a defensive end and started nine games as a rookie. He also lined up as a defensive end in third-down situations last season.
