Keyshawn Johnson to retire...

[The Franchise]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6843010?MSNHPHMA

Sources: Keyshawn to retire
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Associated Press
Posted: 8 minutes ago



Keyshawn Johnson will announce his retirement Wednesday, ending an NFL career in which the outspoken receiver was once one of the game's biggest threats.

He will join ESPN as a sportscaster and disclose his plans at a news conference in Los Angeles at USC, where he starred in college.

"After Keyshawn's announcement that he will retire, we will announce we are signing him to a contract," ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer said.

Last month, Johnson worked the NFL draft for ESPN, which was impressed enough to offer him a job. He was released by the Carolina Panthers days after the draft.

The receiver told the AP by phone that there would be a news conference at the USC campus. He would not say what he would announce, and laughed when told there was speculation he would be going directly from the playing field to the TV booth.

"Out of respect for the announcement I plan to make, I just want to wait until the press conference for everyone to find out," Johnson said. "If there's a lot of rumors and stuff out there, that's fun."

Johnson, who turns 35 in July, spent 11 years in the league. He visited the Tennessee Titans on Friday and met with coaches and watched film.

But the Titans had not made a formal offer, and team officials had been talking with Johnson about the range and money that would be involved in any deal.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher, who became friends with Johnson while he played at USC and Johnson was a ball boy, said Monday he thought Johnson's numbers and production spoke for themselves.

"He still played at a high-level last year. He takes very good care of himself," Fisher said. "He hasn't had any injuries per se. Anytime you get a chance to bring an experienced veteran in to add to your roster then it's a good thing."

[luv]

Man, how things change. I thought he was going to Oakland or something.

[chagrin]

Interesting, but where could he have been a real option, other than HERE!?

[the Talking Can]

Whitlock was right about Carl...

[Direckshun]

Keyshawn CLEARLY has a couple years left in him.

Chiefs shoulda coulda woulda made a run.

[Sure-Oz]

We should've signed him, he still can play.

[FD]

Man, the Titans really needed him too, Vince Young is going to have NOTHING to work with

[Ultra Peanut]

YOU SEE WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU **** WITH THE BREAKERS, KEYSHAWN?

YOU GET FORKSTABBED!

[Wile_E_Coyote]

Just give him the damn retirement check

[noa]

YOU SEE WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU **** WITH THE BREAKERS, KEYSHAWN?

YOU GET FORKSTABBED!


Ah, Keyshawn doesn't give a f***
He'll rip the tag off a mattress.

[pr_capone]

Much respect goes out to that man. Unlike other players before him such as Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith, he retires before becoming a joke and hanging on to days gone by on name alone.

Enjoy your retirement and your next job with ESPN.

[KCFalcon59]

Keyshawn Johnson will announce his retirement Wednesday, ending an NFL career in which the outspoken receiver was once one of the game's biggest threats.


ROFL ROFL ROFL

He was ok, but I wouldn't go that far.

[Deberg_1990]

We should've signed him, he still can play.



True, but i guess ESPN made him a good offer.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

It is absolutely retarded that a team like I don't KANSAS F*CKING CITY wouldn't give this guy a shot at making their club. Anyone without solid 3 solid receivers are fools for not looking at this guy. He's proven he's still got it, and the competitive fire burns brighter in that guy than average. This is a mistake on a few teams part IMO.

[Hammock Parties]

Just throw him the damn pension.

[Pushead2]

Boo Hoo.....

[jidar]

He was a surprisingly good commentator during the draft.

[Mr. Plow]

He was a solid receiver, but I never liked him. Good riddance.

[Molitoth]

He was a surprisingly good commentator during the draft.


I thought he was horrid...

Someone else put it best when they called him Meshawn Johnson.

[luv]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2879994

LOS ANGELES -- Keyshawn Johnson has caught the damn ball in the NFL for the last time.

Johnson, who played a great game and talked one as well during an 11-year career, retired Wednesday despite several offers to continue playing.


He'll soon be expressing his strong opinions on ESPN.

"I wouldn't trade my career for anyone's," Johnson said at a news conference on the University of Southern California campus, where he starred before the New York Jets made him the first overall selection in the 1996 draft.

"I've done everything I wanted to do in my career," he said. "I just couldn't find one thing that could drive me back to playing football. As I learned from Bill Parcells -- the circus doesn't stay in town very long."

At ESPN, Johnson will join the crew of Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown as an analyst. He will also contribute to a new weekly ESPN Radio NFL show hosted by Chris Mortensen and Bill Parcells.

"We're still working on all the different platforms they want me to be a part of," he said.

Johnson, who turns 35 in July, was released three weeks ago by the Carolina Panthers. He said at least a half-dozen teams offered him a new job.

"Those guys were terrific, from Lane Kiffin to Bill Belichick to Jeff Fisher," Johnson said, referring to the coaches in Oakland, New England and Tennessee, respectively. "They all wanted me to play football for them. At the end of the day, it just didn't fit into what I wanted to do now."

Jerome Stanley, Johnson's agent, said his client agreed to terms on what he called a substantial deal with ESPN.

"We're very, very pleased," Stanley said, adding that the Titans offered close to $8 million for two years, with most of the money guaranteed.

Fisher said Johnson informed him he was retiring Wednesday morning.

"He let me know that this decision had nothing to do with us and everything to do about him and his desire to move into the broadcasting business and leave his playing days behind," Fisher said. "I've known Keyshawn for a long time and I am happy he is able to walk away on his own terms after a very successful career."

Fisher became friends with Johnson while he played at USC and Johnson was a ball boy.

Johnson became the 16th player in NFL history to reach 800 career receptions and the 26th with 10,000 receiving yards last season, when he caught 70 passes for 815 yards and four touchdowns for the Carolina Panthers.

He finishes with 814 receptions for 10,571 yards and 64 touchdowns in 167 games.

"I wavered time and time again," Johnson said. "I've lived my dream. Now, I'm going to live another dream. I think today is not as emotional as the last two weeks, thinking about it. There were times there were sleepless nights, wondering if this was the right thing to do."

Parcells became Johnson's coach with the Jets in 1997 -- a year after Johnson caught 63 passes as a rookie for a team that went 1-15. Following that season, he wrote a book: "Just Give Me The Damn Ball," which proved popular with fans if not his teammates.

Johnson eventually earned the nickname "Me-shawn" for that, but his coaches, particularly Parcells, considered him a hard worker and versatile player. Parcells once called Johnson one of the best he'd coached.

But Johnson did have a feud with Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet when they played together and, less than a year after helping Tampa Bay win the 2003 Super Bowl, Johnson's spat with Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden got him suspended for the final six games of the season.

"If people are concentrating on one incident that happened in Tampa a long time ago, I think they're looking at the wrong thing," Johnson said.

He then joined Parcells and the Cowboys, where he had two productive seasons, with 141 catches and 12 touchdowns.

The Panthers signed Johnson last year after he was released by Dallas in a salary cap move so the Cowboys could sign Terrell Owens. While Owens had 85 catches for 1,180 yards and 13 TDs last year as the focal point of the passing game in Dallas, Johnson performed well as the No. 2 receiver behind Steve Smith in Carolina.

Johnson worked the NFL draft last month for ESPN, which was impressed enough to offer him a job. He was released by Carolina three days after the Panthers took former USC star wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett in the second round.

"When Keyshawn decided to retire from football, we jumped at the chance of adding him to our NFL roster, especially after his impressive on-air performance during the NFL draft," ESPN executive vice president Norby Williamson said. "He delivered passionate opinions and candid analysis, attributes that will make him a first-rate analyst in his new career."

Johnson said Carolina's decision to release him was a surprise.

"It never crossed my mind," Johnson said. "It'll happen to a ton of other guys. You have to be prepared for what goes on in the National Football League. Once I was released from Carolina, it speeded up the process."

Johnson said retirement will enable him to spend more time with his 8-year-old son, who supported his decision, and his 11-year-old daughter, who wasn't so sure.

"My daughter wasn't extremely excited because she has yet to get Michael Vick's autograph," Johnson said.

On a more serious note, he said: "I need to give something back -- watch them grow."

He'll get that chance now.

[Buns]

Adam Shefter said on NFL Network the Titans made him an offer, but it wasn't the 2 year, 12 million deal he wanted.

[HemiEd]

I thought he was horrid...

Someone else put it best when they called him Meshawn Johnson.

My sentiments exactly, he made me want to puke. I smiled when they announced his release. Welcome back to earth meshawn, fortunately I don't watch much ESPN anymore.

[teedubya]

Carolina was stupid in this. Keyshawn was excited at the draft to help mentor Jarret, as both are USC guys. Perhaps they should have kept him around a bit longer.

Didnt make much sense to me... given the timing.

[Eleazar]

Carolina was stupid in this. Keyshawn was excited at the draft to help mentor Jarret, as both are USC guys. Perhaps they should have kept him around a bit longer.

Didnt make much sense to me... given the timing.

$