Three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl LII champion Brandon Brooks announced he is retiring from the NFL on Wednesday. He also discussed his plans for after football.
Brooks told reporters he intends to apply to business school at Penn. Brooks played college football at Miami (Ohio) and was selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft by the Texans. He signed a five-year deal with Philadelphia in '16 and has been there ever since.
“Year-round, I'm Philly,” Brooks said. “This is home for me. This will always be home for me.”
The star offensive lineman has also been open about his battles with anxiety and addressed mental health in the past. Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie penned a farewell statement about Brooks in which he addressed not only his impact on the team but also the impact on those dealing with anxiety.
“Beyond his on-field accomplishments, I am most proud of the way Brandon represents our organization with exemplary class,” Lurie said in the statement. “He is one of the most thoughtful and bravest athletes I have ever been around. Brandon's willingness to openly discuss his own struggles with anxiety has served as an inspiration to so many and helped open the door for future conversations among athletes and role models everywhere.”
Brooks played in only two games this season after being placed on injured reserve after Week 2 with a pectoral strain. The 32-year-old said his body told him it was time to hang up his jersey.
”My body was telling me...it was the right time,” Brooks said, per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane.
Over his 10-year career, he's appeared in 114 games and started 108 of them. The only six games in which he was not a starter were the six appearances he had as a rookie in 2012.
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