Shawne Merriman Retires

[TheImmortalGoud]

Rotoworld

Free agent DE Shawne Merriman has retired from football.

"After a lengthy discussion with my agent, family and team, I have officially decided to put in my retirement papers," Merriman posted on his website. So ends one of the more turbulent careers in modern football history. The No. 12 pick of the 2005 draft, Merriman exploded out of the gates with 10 sacks as a rookie, but drew a four-game PED ban as a sophomore. After notching a combined 29.5 sacks in 2006-07, Merriman was limited to 33 games over the past five years by injuries. "Lights Out" hangs 'em up two months shy of his 29th birthday. He finishes his career with 45.5 sacks and three Pro Bowls.

[DoubleDeuce]

I had honestly forgot he existed

[ralaw]

Remember when he first came into the league....he couldn't be stopped. Injuries took him out.

[f16harm]

Remember when he first came into the league....he couldn't be stopped. Steroids and lack-thereof took him out.

Edited for correctness.

OLB equivalent of David Boston.

[Raidersabc123]

Couldn't get it going after being taken off the roids

[SuperKevin]

I've heard in the past that he expressed a career in professional wrestling. It'd probably be a solid career move for him

[Tailback U]

It's easy to blame roids for his durability issues but you're only kidding yourself if you think the league isn't rampant with roiders and growth hormone users.

Look at Bill Romonawski. Guy played for like 15 years and admitted to using roids and was never hurt. Lyle Alzado, even though he died, was never hurt or injured. These are just some of the guys we know about. Think about how many more we don't know about that had long successful careers and stayed relatively healthy.

The NFL is a rough game. Some bodies can hold up, some can't. That's all there is to it. I do think, however, that his performance and ability definitely did decline once he got clean.

[JeremyHight]

It's easy to blame roids for his durability issues but you're only kidding yourself if you think the league isn't rampant with roiders and growth hormone users.

Look at Bill Romonawski. Guy played for like 15 years and admitted to using roids and was never hurt. Lyle Alzado, even though he died, was never hurt or injured. These are just some of the guys we know about. Think about how many more we don't know about that had long successful careers and stayed relatively healthy.

The NFL is a rough game. Some bodies can hold up, some can't. That's all there is to it. I do think, however, that his performance and ability definitely did decline once he got clean.

The bigger issue is that this guy was only good because he was a physical freak. He was bigger than some linemen, but had a 40 time better than Jerry Rice. He didn't have great technique or great skill, he was just a complete athletic freak. Once the roids got taken away, he regressed, started trying to make plays beyond his means, got injured several times, and never sniffed his former numbers.

Romanowski was a smart player, who took roids to supplement his lack of athleticism. Merriman was an athletic player who took roids to become a freak, but never truly developed the mental side of the game. Apples and oranges.

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

Merriman is the Overeem of the NFL.

[Diivox]

The guy still led the league in sacks during his steroid suspension, with 17. I don't care who it is, you don't get 17 sacks on the basis of muscle enhancers. He still pulled off 12 the next year, even though you know they were all over him, probably watching him drop the piss tests (and Gooddell has said that he passed 19 of 20 random drug tests in his career). If you do credit the roids for the 17, I don't see how you can credit them for the 12 a year later. The problem wasn't the roids, as so many people often say.

the problem is that he ripped his knee to shreds and even though it was characterized as career threatening he still tried to play through it for a couple of games. I often wonder what would have happened if he got just got the surgery right away. For the rest of his career, it was always his knees. Yes, he was suspended for steroids once, but his story is alot more like Brandon Roy who broke himself by ignoring the doctors, than it was a lack of roid rage.

*Edit* did a little research, according to his agent he claimed he was popped for nandroline (although who really knows? the NFL who is technically bound to confidentiality even though it hardly ever stays confidential). Maybe the forum unto himself will come here and correct me and call me something creative like a faggot or whatever, but from what I understand, that would have been helpful AFTER the knee injury, not before, and even then there was some considerable debate, as there always is among muscle fatties. Seems that what the dude needed was HGH, not steroids.