Jonathan Ogden just felt the time was right to walk away.
The Ravens? long-time left tackle officially retired from the NFL Thursday, ending a 12-year career that likely will put him into the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2013.
Ogden said he tried to work out and came to the team?s Owings Mills facility earlier this spring to see if he could still play. But in the end, his hyper-extended left toe would not let the 6-foot-9, 345-pounder compete at the level he was accustomed to during a career that included 11 straight Pro Bowl selections.
“Could I have still gone out there and played?” Ogden said. “Probably. And I could have done an adequate job. But in my mind I wouldn?t have been helping the team as much as I needed to, and it wouldn?t have been good for me.
“I knew at the end of last season that I probably wasn?t going to come back, but when you make a decision like that, you have to give it time. You don?t make a decision like that on a whim.”
Surrounded by friends, family and former teammates during a late-morning news conference at the Ravens? practice facility, Ogden said he plans on spending a considerable amount of time in Baltimore helping mentor the Ravens? young offensive linemen and continue to work with his charitable foundation.
But the 33-year-old is still unsure about exactly what the future holds beyond spending time with his wife, Kema, and son, Jayden, and playing golf. Ogden said he has spoken with a number of former players including Darryl Green, Anthony Munoz and Eric Dickerson about the best way to transition into life after football. So far, Ogden said, the best advice has been “don?t rush into anything.”
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said the team is ready to move forward with Jared Gaither taking over at left tackle. Newsome added that taking Ogden with the fourth pick in the 1996 draft laid the foundation for the franchise, as it moved from Cleveland to Baltimore before eventually winning the Super Bowl in 2001.
“In that very first draft we had some needs, but we took the best player in that draft in Jonathan Ogden,” Newsome said. “For someone just starting out, it gave me a foundation.”
Former Ravens offensive lineman Edwin Mulitalo, who is now with the Detroit Lions, said he had to be in Baltimore to help honor Ogden, and he considers him one of the greatest of all time.
“Like Ray Lewis and Junior Seau are to linebackers, and Jerry Rice to wide receivers, Jonathan Ogden is to offensive linemen,” Mulitalo said. “It?s an honor for me to be here.”
Cassandra Ogden, Jonathan?s mother, said that although it might not be easy at first, her son won?t have a problem with retirement.
“Change is tough,” she said. “Football is a passionate sport, and it takes a lot out of you. When Jonathan does something, he?s always very intense about it. He realized it was time to move on to something else.”
