sadly: the Green Bay Packers head coach has announced his forced retirement due to…..

sadly: the  Green Bay Packers  head coach has announced his forced retirement due to…..

GREEN BAY  Julius Peppers the NFL’s fourth all-time sack leader, announced his retirement on Friday after 17 seasons in the league, three of which he spent with the Packers from 2014 to 2016

Peppers, who was drafted as a elephant outside linebacker, had 104 tackles, 25 sacks, eight forced fumbles, and two interceptions returned for touchdowns in 48 regular-season games with the Packers. During that three-year span, his only missed practices were due to mandatory rest days

In an article published Friday morning in the Players Tribune, the nine-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher expressed his gratitude to former coaches and teammates, and he also thanked Packers fans for making him feel at home

I guess more than anything, Green Bay just felt like home,” Peppers said in a statement. “You know small town, good people who love football… being a part of that culture was a really great experience.” I was sad to leave Green Bay, and I don’t think I would have gone anywhere other than home to Carolina

The Packers and former general manager Ted Thompson shocked the NFL on March 15, 2014, when they quietly signed the nine-time Pro Bowl defensive end.

While Peppers’ durability lived up to expectations (he appeared in all 16 regular-season games in 15 of his 17 seasons), the 6-foot-7, 287-pound pass rusher left his imprint on the Packers’ locker room with his quiet, but intense leadership

I enjoy spending time with Julius. “I like him as a person and as a teammate,” said quarterback Aaron Rodgers. “He remains a dear friend to this day.” My sadness in playing with him is not giving him a chance to win a ring because there aren’t many players who deserve a ring like Julius Peppers because he’s one of the all-time greats

Peppers mentioned how much he cherished his time playing with Rodgers in a list of thank yous he delivered to former teammates. In addition to Rodgers’ professionalism, Peppers praised the two-time MVP quarterback’s 14-month streak of successful critical Hail Marys to Randall Cobb, Jeff Janis, and Richard Rodgers