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Three-time Pro Bowl safety Antoine Bethea retires
Former Giants free safety Antoine Bethea is hanging up his cleats for good. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Three-time Pro Bowl safety Antoine Bethea retires

Safety Antoine Bethea, a three-time Pro Bowl selection (2007, 2009, 2014) and veteran of 14 seasons, confirmed via a Thursday Twitter post that he is retiring from the NFL.

Most recently, Bethea played with the New York Giants during the 2019 season but was informed in March that the team was not picking up his option for 2020. The 36-year-old did not participate in the current campaign held amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Indianapolis Colts took a flier on Bethea via a sixth-round draft pick in 2006, and he earned a Super Bowl ring with Indianapolis as a rookie. He made two Pro Bowl squads as a member of the Colts before he signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2014. 

Bethea earned his first NFC Pro Bowl nod that season, and he later joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2017. 

In total, Bethea recorded 1,333 tackles, 25 interceptions with one taken to the house for a touchdown, and 9.5 sacks throughout his career.

The Cardinals and Giants both named Bethea a team captain for the closing seasons of his league tenure. 

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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