Ryan Clark Announces His Retirement

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Safety Ryan Clark made the move from Pittsburgh to Washington on a one-year contract as a free agent last offseason, but he won’t be spending any time looking for a new job once the new league year begins next month.

Clark announced his retirement during an appearance on ESPN on Wednesday, drawing the curtain on a 13-year career that didn’t seem to be in the offing when Clark showed up to his first training camp in 2002.

Clark was an undrafted free agent, but made the Giants and played in 22 games over his first two seasons before making his first stop with the Redskins. He spent two years in Washington and then landed with the Steelers in 2006 to begin his most memorable stretch as a professional player.

He started 109 regular season games for the Steelers and six more in the playoffs, including Super Bowls XLIII and XLV. He missed one other playoff game in Denver as a precaution because he suffers from sickle cell anemia, which caused him to fall ill during a 2007 trip to the city and forced him to have his spleen and gall bladder removed.

Clark’s been a frequent presence on ESPN over the last few years and a permanent transition to that side of the football world is likely in the cards now that he’s hung up the cleats.