NFL's Darren Waller announces retirement after near-death experience

New York Giants player Darren Waller hangs up his jersey and says goodbye to the NFL.

“I have decided to retire from football,” Waller, 31, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, June 9. “To God: What a journey, and thank you. We've come so much further than I could have ever imagined! I'm so grateful to everyone I've been able to connect with and create memories along the way. We still have a lot of life left to live.

Waller informed the Giants of his decision before the start of their mini-camp, which is scheduled to begin Tuesday, June 11.

In a separate YouTube video, the NFL tight end – who parted ways with the WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum in April, after a year of marriage — described an off-the-field medical situation last season that “forced me to reevaluate.”

Waller said that in November 2023, he began experiencing symptoms of fever, chills and tremors. After having trouble breathing, the athlete decided to call 911.

“It was a very scary situation. I ended up staying in the hospital for three and a half days,” he recalls. “It was an experience that could at least sober someone up and make them think.”

For Waller, who struggled with drug and alcohol abuse before getting sober in 2017, the experience changed his outlook on life.

“I go back to my daily life and it’s clear that I almost lost my life,” he said. “And I don't know if I really feel like I would have been very well off with how my life was going if I had died at that time. I'm doing something that I've found great joy in and had incredible times with, but the passion is slowly fading.

Although Waller didn't share his diagnosis, he made it clear that his passions in life had changed. Now it's time to step away from the football field and explore other things, like her ongoing work as a mental health advocate.

“The worst thing possible for someone like me would be to think that I'm supposed to choose one path in life,” he explained, “one path and stick to it like most people in the world do. world”.

In response to the Waller news, the Giants released a statement to Yahoo Sports that read: “We have great respect for Darren as a person and a player. We wish him nothing but the best.