After a 12-year career in the NFL, Dan Orlovsky is retiring from football.
The former UConn star quarterback made the announcement in an emotional blog post on Wednesday.
"It's time for my journey as a football player to come to an end," Orlovsky wrote.
He said he has been playing the game since the age of seven, when he played his first game of flag football.
Orlovsky went on to star at Shelton High School before moving on to UConn.
"The game that made high school four of the most incredible years of my life. The game that sent me to college for free. The game that challenged me to play it at the highest level for 144 months," he said.
Drafted in the Fifth Round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Orlovsky mostly played as a backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He began the 2017 pre-season with the Los Angeles Rams, but was cut before the regular season.
Sports
"I've been to incredible cities, met amazing people, played in every stadium. I've been part of some amazing wins, and some heart-shattering losses," he wrote. "I have had teammates that will one day be in the Hall of Fame, and teammates that are still to this day, my best friends. Football for me was a game I started as a kid, and it grew into my journey of life.
Orlovsky said he is unclear what will be next for him, including the possibilities of getting into coaching, TV or the business world.
"I'm not fearful of the future, but excited. I am excited to do things as a husband and dad, as a friend, an uncle or alumni, that I have never been able to do before. And I truly believe that football has equipped me so well for this next step," he wrote.
"I was so lucky to find something that at the age of 7 that, not only I fell in love with, but something that would shape me in every way possible. My prayer is that somehow my kids get to me as lucky as I was."
