NFL'S CAREER SACKS LEADER RETIRING
(AP) - Reggie White, the NFL's career sacks leader, is retiring
because of a bad back. The team said White, 36, who recently was
criticized for insensitive remarks in a speech to Wisconsin
lawmakers, would hold a news conference on Wednesday. White, who
made the Pro Bowl a record 12 times, had 10 1/2 sacks last year,
giving him 176 1/2 for his 13-year career. But he was bothered by
a bulging disc in his lower back that limited his playing time.
"He will be missed for a lot of reasons, but in some respects
it's time," Green Bay Packers coach Mike Holmgren said in making
the announcement on Sunday.
The Packers had wanted him to return for his leadership
qualities, promising he'd play about half the snaps. But that
wasn't enough to persuade him to change his mind. White told
Holmgren soon after the Packers' Super Bowl loss to Denver that
he doubted he'd return to Green Bay for a sixth season. But
Holmgren told him to take his time in making a decision about
retirement. The two met earlier this month and again Sunday,
Holmgren said. "The overriding factor was his back," Holmgren
said. "He has just not felt very good this offseason." The
Packers drafted two defensive linemen in the NFL draft, but still
wanted White to return. Green Bay lost its other starting
defensive end when Gabe Wilkins signed with San Francisco as a
free agent in February.
White, who joined the Packers in 1993 after eight seasons with
the Philadelphia Eagles, was to enter the second year of a
five-year contract extension that called for him to make a base
salary of $2.6 million in 1998. Because he announced his
retirement before June 1, the Packers will be liable for $2.4
million -- the remainder of his signing bonus -- on this year's
salary cap. If he had waited until after June 1, the team would
have had to count only $600,000 against the cap with the
remaining $1.8 million going against the 1999 cap, which is
expected to take another significant jump thanks to the $17.6
billion the television networks are pouring into the league's
coffers for broadcast rights. |
