The Pittsburgh Steelers took another offseason blow on Wednesday when a longtime defensive starter unexpectedly stepped away. Stephon Tuitt, a fixture on the Pittsburgh defensive line for most of the last eight seasons, announced his retirement.
The team confirmed the retirement with a press release on social media, written by Tuitt himself. The 29-year-old cited the tragic passing of his brother in 2020 and his recent graduation from Notre Dame as inspiration to move on from his football life.
Statement from Stephon Tuitt: pic.twitter.com/46iOoOZZZW
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 1, 2022
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Tuitt did not play in 2021 after his brother, Richard, was killed in a car accident in June of that year. Before that, the former second-round pick had started 79 games in seven seasons. His final year, 2020, was Tuitt’s best: 11 sacks, two forced fumbles and 10 TFLs.
Good luck to Tuitt as he begins his next chapter.