Injury Forces Irvin to Retire

I R V I N G, Texas, July 11 -- In a teary farewell, Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin said goodbye to his team and goodbye to football forever, reiterating how hard it was for him to leave his “family” in Dallas.

“Walking away from the game is hard, but walking away is a blessing,” Irvin said during his press conference.

Irvin’s “reality” came last year during the first quarter of an Oct. 10 game in Philadelphia. Although it was reason to celebrate having made the 750th catch of his career, tying him with Charlie Joiner for ninth in NFLhistory, but he was temporarily paralyzed by a herniated disc.

Irvin later learned he was lucky to get off that easy. Tests showed that he was born with a narrow spinal cord, a condition that made him vulnerable tomuch more serious injury. He faced that risk every time he’dstepped on a football field and never knew it.

Now that he knows about what's at stake, Irvin isn’t going to take any chances. “Would I be stupid enough to be playing football? Most definitely, if I was alone and by myself, most definitely,” he said.

Irvin’s Somber Exit

Prior to this press conference, Irvin has been uncharacteristically quiet since his injury. He’s avoided reporters, stopped working out at team headquarters and hardly spoken to his closest friends on the team.

But during his announcement, Irvin was somber and teary-eyed, even showing a more sensitive side of the player known for being so aggressive, that he helped reshaped the way referees make "offensive interference" calls.

The somber exit isn’t the way most will remember Irvin, who over12 years established himself as one of the top receivers and one ofthe biggest showboats the NFL has ever seen.

As much as his pass catching helped the Cowboys return to gloryin the 1990s, it was his swagger that truly sparked the revival of“America’Team.”

Dallas fans loved seeing No. 88 motion for a first down after acatch, while his gyrations gave Cowboys haters another reason togrind their teeth. Yet no matter whether you rooted for or againsthim, he was hard to ignore.