As an undrafted free agent defensive back from the University of Massachusetts, James Ihedigbo wasn’t supposed to make it in the NFL. 10 years later, he’s retiring with a Super Bowl ring and a decade of professional football experiences that nobody can take back. On Monday, he made the announcement official on his Instagram page.

I’m making it official. I’m stepping away from the game I love and have had the honor of playing since I was 6 years old!! I truly thank the Lord Jesus Christ for the opportunity, but more than anything, for having his hand on my life every step of the way. An Undrafted free agent from Amherst, Massachusetts to a 10 year career and Super Bowl Champion….I swear I need to write a book!! But I seriously want to thank all of my incredible coaches along the way, Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan, Bill Belicheck, John Harbaugh, and Jim Caldwell, thank all of you for believing in me as a player, and also in my leadership on and off the field. I want to give a special thank you to Mike Westoff, my special teams coach with the New York Jets, who told me in 2007 if I wanted to make the 53 man roster that I better be a terror on Special Teams, and that’s exactly what you developed me to be!! I became a problem that had to be dealt with every Sunday!! I want to say thank you to all my trainers @mickbrueckner @speed_guru @leovjohnson and @nineinnovations @dose_9 for always pushing me to work harder and become a beast!! Thank you to all my teammates, friends and brothers for life! I want to thank my family, my mother especially, who never missed a game, even from when I was kid all the way through my entire pro career, including flying to London to watch me play! We would pray together before every single game for super natural strength thank you mom for your support!! To my amazing wife, for your love and support and holding it down, and to my brothers for always pushing me to improve and strive for greatness! Lastly I thank all my fans, I appreciate your love and support more than you’d ever know! Thank You…Gravedigger out!!! ? cred: @thirtythree84_ @umassfootball @nyjets @patriots @ravens @detroitlionsnfl @buffalobills

A post shared by James Ihedigbo (@diggz32) on Mar 19, 2018 at 2:43pm PDT

“I’m making it official. I’m stepping away from the game I love and have had the honor of playing since I was 6 years old!! I truly thank the Lord Jesus Christ for the opportunity, but more than anything, for having his hand on my life every step of the way.”

Ihedigbo, 34, played 10 seasons in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl in 2012 with Baltimore and playing in another with New England in 2011. He appeared in 117 career games with 55 starts for the New York Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:18‬ ‭KJV‬‬ #fbf #GotVision?

A post shared by James Ihedigbo (@diggz32) on Mar 17, 2017 at 6:40am PDT

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