At the age of 29, defensive lineman Stephan Tuitt of the Pittsburgh Steelers announced his retirement from the National Football League on Wednesday. The Steelers selected the former standout player from Notre Dame in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Over the course of eight seasons, he started 79 of his 91 career games.

Tuitt officially announced his retirement via a tweet from the Steelers’ account.

I am making an official announcement to the Steelers organization, my teammates, and coaches that I have decided to retire from the NFL. I consider myself fortunate to be in good health as I depart this game and grateful for the eight seasons I have had the honor of representing the city of Pittsburgh. Following the untimely death of my brother Richard and the completion of my degree at the University of Notre Dame, I have come to realize that I am being called to something more than football. I want to express my gratitude to everyone for their love and support, both on and off the field. I also want to thank Coach Tomlin, The

 Rooney Family, and the whole Pittsburgh team once more. It was

In his debut season, Tuitt started just four games, but he went on to become one of the league’s greatest defensive lineman. Regretfully, he was unable to participate in any games in 2021 because his brother tragically died in a hit-and-run accident. He was gone from the team for a large portion of the offseason, and prior to the season, he had an injury that put him on injured reserve. Even though Pittsburgh advanced to the postseason, Tuitt did not make his anticipated comeback at the end of the season. The Steelers’ run defense was the worst in the NFL statistically when he wasn’t there.