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Purdue alum, longtime New England Patriot Rob Ninkovich announces retirement
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Rob Ninkovich retired as a champion.
The former Purdue and longtime New England Patriot announced his retirement from the NFL on Sunday. Ninkovich hung up his cleats after 11 seasons in the league, the last eight of which were spent with the Patriots.
His final game was helping the Patriots fuel a historic comeback victory against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. The edge-rusher retired as a two-time Super Bowl champion and will be remembered as one of the key cogs to the Patriots’ run the last decade.
Bill Belichick gave Ninkovich a nice sendoff:
This is what unfolded as Bill Belichick finished his remarks, calling Rob Ninkovich among the most unselfish players he has coached. pic.twitter.com/ylto6wKIVc
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 30, 2017
Ninkovich finished his career with 460 tackles, 46 sacks, 23 passes defended, 14 fumble recoveries, 10 forced fumbles, five interceptions and one touchdown. The former fifth-round draft pick didn’t become a starter until his second season with the Patriots in 2010, but he started in all but 12 of the Patriots’ games in his final seven years with the team.
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The only reason he missed four games in his final season in the NFL was because he was suspended for testing positive for a banned substance, which he said he got over the counter.
Rob Ninkovich played 7,021 snaps in his career, including the playoffs, if you're counting at home
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) July 30, 2017
Ninkovich was a late bloomer at Purdue, as well. After transferring from Joliet Junior College (Illinois), he eventually became a starter as a senior and earned second-team All-B1G honors in 2015.
The 33-year-old will be remembered for embodying the Patriots’ “do your job” mantra.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.