Emotional Farewells

Experience a new way to play daily fantasy sports and eSports on Thrive Fantasy. Thrive's game concept revolves around player props, which are simple over-unders on player stats. Thrive is awarded over 2 million dollars in cash, so come and prop up today. In the cold at Lambeau next Sunday. Tell you what, that is going to be one heck of a plane ride back to Tampa Bay for this football team. And for Packers, what a game that'll be. There for what is likely the final time on a football field, with uniforms on, and Brady is the one who gets to celebrate after this one. And that could be it for the great and future Hall of Famer, Drew Brees. 30 to 20, that's the final from New Orleans. Thank you for watching the divisional playoffs presented by Intuit TurboTax Live. Bucks are going to the champ game in Green Bay. Timeout taken by Miami. Pat Shermer wanted to get Eli this well-deserved ovation. 16 years, two Super Bowl championships, and if this is the end of the road for Eli Manning, what a ride it's been. The only wide receiver from the 2001 or 2002 draft class still playing in the National Football League on week 17. One of the most respected men. It's been 16 amazing years. At some point it comes to an end. I got a beautiful wife at home, Angie, and four kids that need their dad. And I need my kids. And I got a lot of catching up to do. You know, this game is giving me a lot, but at the same time, I need to give my family more. Life ahead for Steve Smith, the family man with a football career ends here in Cincinnati. Hello. This certainly isn't how I envisioned this or planned this. But I am going to retire. This is not an easy decision. Honestly, it's the hardest decision of my life. But it is the right decision for me. In conclusion, my folks who aren't here tonight, Uncle Will, all my friends, thank you. And my wife, Nicole, thank you. I love you. The Eagles have traded tight end Zach Ernst to the Cardinals in exchange for cornerback Tae Gowen in Arizona's fifth round pick in the 2022 draft. Obviously, emotional day, emotional week. I'm trying not to cry in this one. Like last January when I thought it was my last one. But what a journey it's been. What an amazing journey. What an amazing eight plus years, nine years here. You know, one of the things that kind of irked me the past couple of days is when this was coming about and people started to know about it, like, well, you know, you're going home, you're going back to California. Julie's home and this is home. Philadelphia is home. And that was tough just to kind of articulate that to people that I love this place. I've said it all along. And it's a great opportunity to be here. And I loved it here. I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play this game since I was in fourth grade, and I've been with the Panthers now for eight years. And it's never the right time to step away. But now is the right time for me. And it's a tough decision. I've thought about it a lot. And I think now is the right chance for me to move on. For me, now is the right opportunity to move in a different direction. And, you know, there's only one way to play this game since I was a kid. I want to play fast and play physical and play strong. And at this point, I don't know if I'm able to do that anymore. And that's the part that is the most difficult is I still want to play, but I don't think it's the right decision. So I thought about it for a long time. And I think now is an opportunity for me to step away with what's going on here. It is something about 18 years. 18 is a good number. And today I've retired from pro football. I want to thank the people of New Orleans in South Louisiana. New Orleans is my hometown. And of course, they support their own team, the Saints, but they also support their own. And that city and state have backed me from the start. I have fought the good fight and I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Well, I fought a good fight. I finished my football race. And after 18 years, it's time. God bless all of you. And God bless football. Leo has a hug for Charles Woodson. Hey, hey, listen, listen, man. It's been a joy for me to come back and play here for a second time around. You guys welcome me back with open arms as if I never left. I just want you to know how much that means to me, means to my family, my two boys. Man, it's been great. I just want you to know that you guys are under great leadership, man. And this team is going to get so much better really, really soon. Though this is my last game in the Coliseum, just know that I'll never leave you. Go Raiders.