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Ex-Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount announces retirement after 9 NFL seasons

One of the modern NFL’s more colorful running backs is officially hanging up his cleats.

LeGarrette Blount announced his retirement on Saturday after an NFL career that spanned nine seasons, six different teams and three Super Bowl championships.

With an Instagram post featuring a personal highlight reel and lengthy statement, Blount thanked nearly every team he spent time with and everyone else who helped him along the way.

“I have thought long and hard about this decision, and I’ve talked to my closest family members and friends about this,” Blount said. “I gave everything I had to the game, my teammates, and my coaches. I want to show my appreciation to the organizations that believed in me enough to give me a real shot.”

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Blount was true to his word, posting a paragraph about his time with every team that brought him in. With one exception: the Detroit Lions.

LeGarrette Blount’s long and winding football career

At his best, the 247-pound Blount was a bruising, talented running back who made defenses miserable at the goal line. At his worst, he was responsible for incidents on and off the field.

Only ranked as a two-star recruit coming out of high school, Blount attended East Mississippi Community College for two years and raised his prospect stock enough to transfer to Oregon.

A highly anticipated senior season after a junior-year success with the Ducks was spoiled after just one game, when Blount infamously punched a taunting Boise State player and almost started tussling with Broncos fans after an upset loss. Blount was suspended for nearly the rest of the season and went undrafted in the 2010 NFL draft.

Blount’s NFL career began with the Tennessee Titans, who waived him after training camp. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers then claimed Blount, who became only the second undrafted rookie to rush for 1,000 yards in his first season.

New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount (29) scores during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016. (AP Photo/Don Wright)
Tackling LeGarrette Blount was never fun for defenses. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

Blount would move from the Bucs to the Patriots to the Pittsburgh Steelers over the next few seasons, before landing again with the Patriots, when he enjoyed the most successful stretch of his career. Blount won two Super Bowls in New England, and rushed for 1,864 yards and 24 touchdowns between the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He’d win another ring with the Philadelphia Eagles the year after leaving New England as well.

Blount’s final NFL season came in 2018 with the Detroit Lions, where he averaged a career-low 2.7 yards per rush. Given what we know about former Lions head coach Matt Patricia’s relationship with some players, it may not be surprising Blount didn’t mention his time there in his statement.

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