June 08, 2016 - Aaron Wilson
Bears lineman Manny Ramirez retiring
Chicago Bears veteran offensive lineman Manny Ramirez intends to retire following eight NFL seasons.
"When it's time, it's time," Ramirez said in a statement."You can't really push it anymore when your body tells you that you can't do what's required at this level. That's one thing that I've always told myself throughout my entire career, that when the body starts not being able to produce like it's supposed to, you really can't do anything about it."
Ramirez, 33, signed a one-year contract with Chicago on March 30.
Ramirez played in 83 games with 65 starts over eight seasons with the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos.
"You've got to listen to your body," Ramirez said. "I feel like I had the opportunity to come out here and try to compete, but the body wasn't responding like I wanted it to and when you don't have 100 percent focus on football and other things are running through your mind, it's not safe. I know this game isn't the type of game where you can just try to stick it out and stay in it. That's just where I'm at in my career."
"At the beginning of the offseason I felt great, but once we started OTAs, the body was just not responding like it's accustomed to. I understand the bumps and bruises and getting back into the rhythm of things, but my body has never felt the way it has these past few weeks. It just didn't feel comfortable or as strong anymore."
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Aaron Wilson covers the Texans for The Houston Chronicle.