PITTSBRUGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers defense will move forward knowing Stephon Tuitt will not return. The defensive end officially announced his retirement after eight seasons in the NFL, one year since his last game.
Tuitt's brother was tragically killed last summer and the veteran dealt with a knee injury that kept him off the field during camp last year. Now, after graduating from Notre Dame and spending time with him family, he heads to the next chapter of his life.
The Steelers defensive line, who are all considered brothers to Tuitt, were nothing but happy for Tuitt's next step. Here's what they had to say.
Cam Heyward:
"I've known Tuitt before he was drafted. To see where he came from," Heyward said. "He was playing brother with my other brother playing basketball. He was the little kid playing gameboy. We'd always say he was going on basketball trips for football. He really came out of his shell. To see the type of man, the type of teammate he was. I was able to rely on him so much. We were able to do a lot of special things. ... We created a lot of havoc together, and had a lot of fun doing it."
"I just want to say, I'm proud of him for graduating," Heyward added. "That was something that was really big and monumental in his life. Something he could look back on. ... Something he was very proud of."
Tyson Alualu:
“He was one of the most athletic, most active defensive lineman I’ve ever been around," Alualu said. "His talent speaks for itself. He’s one of those guys who makes plays and others feed off of his energy. I think that’s what he always brought. That was part of his game. He was so relentless and physical. So that’s definitely what we miss but there are a lot of guys that got to step up and emulate — still play their game — but play how Tuitt played the game.”
Isaiahh Loudermilk:
"It was kind of a surprise to me. We all kind of knew one way or another. I'm just happy that he made a good choice for himself and his family. I'm definitely going to miss him, I know the guys are going to miss him. Miss having him around. Definitely as a player, him being as dominant as he is, we're going to miss him on the field too. But everyone here, and me, wish nothing but the best for him."
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