WR Ted Ginn announces retirement after 14 seasons in the NFL



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Ted Ginn has already sprinted to a Division I scholarship and a first-round selection in the NFL Draft. Today, he is about to retire.

The 14-year-old veteran hangs up his boots. Ginn announced his retirement in the Friday edition of Full access to the NFL on the NFL network.

“Sad to say, but not really sad to say, really happy to say that I’m going to take my time and retire this year,” said Ginn. “I’ve had a great career. From Little League to the NFL. I have nothing to take away. I enjoyed my time at all levels. I played at the highest level. I’m just grateful for to be able to have this time and it is a joy. “

A natural athlete with elite speed, Ginn was a star of two sports at Glenville High School in Cleveland, playing the quarterback, wide catcher and defensive back for the Tarblooders football team (which was coached by her father, revered community figure Ted Ginn Sr.), and win a national title in the 110-meter hurdles with the Glenville track team. Ginn’s football exploits earned him All-American status and a trip to the US Army All-American Bowl before signing to play football at Ohio State.

Ginn, 36, served as a receiver and returner with the Buckeyes, becoming a three-time All-American and winning All-Big Ten first-team honors in 2006. His breaking speed was enough for the Dolphins to Miami pass the ninth overall pick on him in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Ginn’s receiving career never lived up to the expectations placed on him by his first-round selection, but he proved to be a quality secondary option in the passing game, finishing with 5,742 career receiving yards. and 33 affected. He was devastating at times in the second leg, scoring seven total touchdowns (four punt returns, three touchdown returns) during his 14 years, but failed to make a Pro Bowl during his time in the NFL.

Ginn rebounded in the league, moving from Miami to San Francisco in 2010, where he was more effective in the return leg than as a traditional wide receiver. Ginn found new life as a wide receiver in Carolina, where he played for the Panthers in 2013 and 2015-16. Ginn appeared in Super Bowl 50 during the 2015 season, showing a brief glimpse into the great playing ability that defined his career in Ohio State with a 45-yard reception that Ginn capped by dodging out of bounds. early in the third quarter of Carolina’s eventual 24. -10 loss to the Denver Broncos. Ginn finished with four receptions for 74 yards in the loss.

Ginn’s best years as a professional receiver were in Carolina, where he caught 134 passes for 2,047 yards and 19 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Panthers. That production earned him a few more years in the NFL with the Saints, where he caught 100 passes for 1,417 yards and eight scores from 2017-19.

Ginn ended his NFL stint with six games with the Chicago Bears in 2020 before calling it a career this week. He is retiring with nearly a decade and a half of NFL experience, a conference title and two Super Bowl appearances under his belt.

“I enjoyed everything I did, so I have no regrets,” Ginn said. “It was a joy. It was time, it was necessary. I left a mark and that’s all you can really do. My dad always told me to leave my name on something, j left my name on something. “

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