Former Minnesota VIkings defensive tackle Corey Wootton took to Twitter to announce his retirement from the National Football League on July 26, 2016.
There seems to be a growing trend of NFL players retiring young from professional football lately. With the concerns about brain damage, bodily wear and tear, as well as how highly competitive the league has become, sometimes the best thing a player can do is hang up their cleats after earning a nice payday.
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Defensive lineman Corey Wootton is another one of those players who made the call to retire before his 30th birthday. Calling it quits at the age of 29, Wootton had accumulated 86 combined tackles, 12 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 7 passes defended over the course of 6 seasons in the NFL.
Drafted in the 4th round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, Wootton made his way to Minnesota for the 2014 season before finishing his career with the Detroit Lions in 2015.
Wootton leaves behind some moments that football fans will remember fondly. Of course, one of the most memorable is the time he sacked Green Bay Packers quarterback Seneca Wallace and unleashed a robot dance that would make Conky 2000 from Pee Wee’s Playhouse jealous.
He does leave behind one moment Minnesota Vikings fans would rather forget. He will forever be known as the player who got the final sack on Brett Favre and took him out of the game during the 2010 NFL season.
Here is the announcement from Corey Wootton from his personal Twitter account making his retirement public to the fans and the word, thanking everyone along the way:
Thank you all for the support! pic.twitter.com/wHQqWkAirF
— Corey Wootton (@CoreyWootton) July 26, 2016
Next: Vikings game-by-game 2016 season preview
Hopefully, Wootton can take this time away from the NFL to be with his family and friends as well as pursue other interests. While he may not have been a great fit for the Minnesota Vikings defense, he enjoyed a productive 6 year career in the National Football League, which is a lot more than many other professional football players can say.