The Steelers had said throughout the offseason that they were open to defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt returning to the club in 2022. But Tuitt has instead elected to bring his carer to a close.
On Wednesday, Tuitt announced his retirement.
“With respect to the Steelers organization, my teammates, and coaches I would like to officially announce that I have come to the decision to retire from the NFL,” Tuitt said in a statement released by the Steelers. “I am thankful to have had the opportunity to represent the city of Pittsburgh for the past eight seasons, and am blessed to leave this game with my health. After the tragic loss of my brother Richard, and upon completing my degree from the University of Notre Dame, I know I am being called to move beyond the sport of football. I want to thank everyone for the love and support they have shown both on and off the field, and again want to thank the Rooney family, coach Tomlin, and the entire Pittsburgh organization. It was an honor and a privilege to play for this historic team. Go Steelers.”
Tuitt did not play in the 2021 season after a knee injury landed him on injured reserve. As he alluded to in the statement, Tuitt’s brother was killed in a hit-and-run last June.
“I want to thank Stephon for all he did for the Steelers during his eight-year career in Pittsburgh,” Steelers G.M. Omar Khan said in a statement. “His success both on and off the field speaks volumes for who he is as a person and a player. Stephon has always handled himself with class and maturity as he continues to be a great husband, father, son and family man in his personal life. Now that he has informed us he is retiring from football, we are all thrilled to see what he becomes as a person and professional after graduating from Notre Dame this past month. We are excited for what lies ahead in his life and will continue to support him in any way we can.”
A second-round pick in the 2014 draft, Tuitt played his entire career for the Steelers. In 91 career games with 79 starts, he recorded 34.5 sacks with 48 tackles for loss and 94 quarterback hits. Tuitt had a career-high 11.0 sacks for Pittsburgh in 2020.
