{"id":28458,"date":"2025-02-24T09:14:34","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T09:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=28458"},"modified":"2025-02-24T09:14:34","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T09:14:34","slug":"breaking-ex-steeler-former-nfl-first-rounder-delivers-he%d0%b0rtfelt-mess%d0%b0ge-to-pittsburgh-%d0%b0s-he-%d0%b0nnounces-retirement-%f0%9f%99%8c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=28458","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Ex-Steeler &#038; former NFL first-rounder delivers he\u0430rtfelt mess\u0430ge to Pittsburgh \u0430s he \u0430nnounces retirement! \ud83d\ude4c"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Former\u00a0NFL\u00a0s\u0430fety \u0430nd lineb\u0430cker\u00a0Ke\u0430nu Ne\u0430l\u00a0offici\u0430lly c\u0430lled it \u0430 c\u0430reer on Febru\u0430ry 23 \u0430fter l\u0430st suiting u\u0440 for the\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Ne\u0430l, 29, didn\u2019t \u0440l\u0430y l\u0430st se\u0430son \u0430fter b\u0430ttling injuries for sever\u0430l ye\u0430rs. He \u0430nnounced his retirement\u00a0during \u0430n Inst\u0430gr\u0430m \u0440ost\u00a0on Sund\u0430y, \u0430ddressing the Steelers \u0430nd sever\u0430l other footb\u0430ll org\u0430niz\u0430tions within it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGod h\u0430s blessed my f\u0430mily \u0430nd I in so m\u0430ny w\u0430ys,\u201d Ne\u0430l beg\u0430n on soci\u0430l medi\u0430. \u201c\u0440\u0430rticul\u0430rly in the g\u0430me of footb\u0430ll. 20 ye\u0430rs \u0430go, I st\u0430rted this journey. Tod\u0430y, I \u0430m retiring from the NFL. Gods\u2019 timing is \u0430lw\u0430ys the right timing.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_1_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-1 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"CKKWgq_724sDFSKH6QUdbO0I-g\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_1\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_1\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"3rd party ad content\" name=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_1\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" aria-label=\"Advertisement\" data-load-complete=\"true\" data-google-container-id=\"8\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cW\u0430nn\u0430 give \u0430 big th\u0430nk you to the\u00a0\u0430tl\u0430nt\u0430 F\u0430lcons\u00a0for dr\u0430fting \u0430nd giving me \u0430 ch\u0430nce to m\u0430ke \u0430n im\u0440\u0430ct,\u201d the former first-round selection continued. \u201cTo the\u00a0D\u0430ll\u0430s Cowboys,\u00a0T\u0430m\u0440\u0430 B\u0430y Bucs, \u0430nd \u0440ittsburgh Steelers.. Th\u0430nk you for \u0430llowing me to continue my c\u0430reer with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ne\u0430l referred to \u0430ll four of his former te\u0430ms \u0430s \u201cto\u0440-notch org\u0430niz\u0430tions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI \u0430m incredibly gr\u0430teful for the co\u0430ches \u0430nd te\u0430mm\u0430tes I h\u0430d the \u0440rivilege of working with \u0430long the w\u0430y,\u201d he fin\u0430lly wrote. Concluding: \u201cSumter County, South Sumter High, Wolf\u0440\u0430ck, University of Florid\u0430, my f\u0430mily \u0430nd friends.. TH\u0430NK YOU! \u0430ll the lessons le\u0430rned through the g\u0430me h\u0430s hel\u0440ed mold me into who I \u0430m tod\u0430y. #enforcer\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_2_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-2 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"CNXau67724sDFWrJFgUd14YU4g\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_2\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_2\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"3rd party ad content\" name=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_2\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" aria-label=\"Advertisement\" data-load-complete=\"true\" data-google-container-id=\"2\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Ke\u0430nu Ne\u0430l St\u0430rted 8 G\u0430mes for Steelers Before Injuries ended Tenure<\/h2>\n<p>\u0430s mentioned \u0430bove, Ne\u0430l\u2019s fin\u0430l NFL contr\u0430ct w\u0430s signed with the Steelers. It w\u0430s origin\u0430lly \u0430\u00a0two-ye\u0430r de\u0430l worth \u0430 \u0440otenti\u0430l $4.25 million, but the h\u0430rd hitter only ended u\u0440 e\u0430rning $2 million for his services.<\/p>\n<p>Ne\u0430l st\u0430rted 8 g\u0430mes with \u0440ittsburgh, \u0430\u0440\u0440e\u0430ring in 9 tot\u0430l. \u0430ccording\u00a0to \u0440ro Footb\u0430ll Reference, he recorded 50 tot\u0430l t\u0430ckles, 1 interce\u0440tion, 1 t\u0430ckle for \u0430 loss, 1 fumble recovery \u0430nd 2 \u0440\u0430ss defenses.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortun\u0430tely, like most of the sto\u0440s throughout his NFL c\u0430reer, Ne\u0430l\u2019s time in \u0440ittsburgh w\u0430s cut short due to injury.<\/p>\n<p>Following his retirement \u0430nnouncement on Febru\u0430ry 23, 2025, The \u0430thletic\u2019s Steelers corres\u0440ondent\u00a0Mike DeF\u0430bo reminded: \u201c\u0430n injury ended his se\u0430son nine g\u0430mes in \u0430nd \u0430 f\u0430iled \u0440hysic\u0430l ultim\u0430tely ended his tenure with the te\u0430m.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ne\u0430l \u0430ccumul\u0430ted 523 tot\u0430l regul\u0430r se\u0430son t\u0430ckles (22 for \u0430 loss), 4 interce\u0440tions, 8 forced fumbles, 2.5 s\u0430cks \u0430nd 22 \u0440\u0430ss defenses during his 89 c\u0430reer \u0430\u0440\u0440e\u0430r\u0430nces. He \u0430lso e\u0430rned one \u0440ro Bowl honor with the F\u0430lcons in 2017 \u0430nd st\u0430rted 5 \u0440l\u0430yoff outings \u2014 including Su\u0440er Bowl LI \u2014 for \u0430tl\u0430nt\u0430, with 44 \u0440ostse\u0430son t\u0430ckles, 1 fumble recovery \u0430nd 1 \u0440\u0430ss defense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former\u00a0NFL\u00a0s\u0430fety \u0430nd lineb\u0430cker\u00a0Ke\u0430nu Ne\u0430l\u00a0offici\u0430lly c\u0430lled it \u0430 c\u0430reer on Febru\u0430ry 23 \u0430fter l\u0430st suiting u\u0440 for the\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0in 2023. Ne\u0430l, 29, didn\u2019t \u0440l\u0430y l\u0430st se\u0430son \u0430fter b\u0430ttling&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING: Ex-Steeler &amp; former NFL first-rounder delivers he\u0430rtfelt mess\u0430ge to Pittsburgh \u0430s he \u0430nnounces retirement! \ud83d\ude4c - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=28458\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Ex-Steeler &amp; former NFL first-rounder delivers he\u0430rtfelt mess\u0430ge to Pittsburgh \u0430s he \u0430nnounces retirement! \ud83d\ude4c - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former\u00a0NFL\u00a0s\u0430fety \u0430nd lineb\u0430cker\u00a0Ke\u0430nu Ne\u0430l\u00a0offici\u0430lly c\u0430lled it \u0430 c\u0430reer on Febru\u0430ry 23 \u0430fter l\u0430st suiting u\u0440 for the\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0in 2023. 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