Ted Ginn once sprinted to a Division I scholarship and a first-round selection in the NFL draft. Presently, he’s coasting into retirement.
The 14-year veteran is hanging up his spikes. Ginn declared his retirement on Friday’s version of NFL Total Access on NFL Network.
“Sad to say, but not really sad to say, really joyful to say that I’m going to take my time and retire this year,” Ginn said. “I had a great career. Little League to NFL. I have nothing to hold back. I enjoyed my time at every level. I played at the highest level. I’m just thankful to be able to have this time and it’s a joy.”
A natural athlete with tip top speed, Ginn was a two-sport star at Cleveland’s Glenville High School, playing quarterback, wide beneficiary and protective back for the Tarblooders football crew (which was trained by his dad, revered community figure Ted Ginn Sr.), and winning a national title in the 110 meter obstacles as a component of Glenville’s olympic style events group. Ginn’s football exploits earned him All-American status and an excursion to the U.S. Armed force All-American Bowl prior to signing to play football at Ohio State.
Ginn, 36, featured as a receiver and returner with the Buckeyes, turning into a three-time All-American and garnering All-Big Ten first group praises in 2006. His game-breaking speed was sufficient for the Miami Dolphins to spend the 10th in general single out him in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Ginn’s getting career never arrived at the assumptions set upon him by his first-round determination, yet he end up being a quality secondary option in the passing game, getting done with 5,742 profession getting yards and 33 scores. He was periodically destroying in the return game, scoring seven complete return touchdowns (four punt return scores, three kick return scores) in his 14 years, yet neglected to make a Pro Bowl in his time in the NFL.
Ginn bobbed around the league, moving from Miami to San Francisco in 2010, where he was more successful in the return game than as a traditional receiver. Ginn discovered new life as a collector in Carolina, where he played for the Panthers in 2013 and 2015-2016. Ginn showed up in Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season, showing a brief glimpse at the enormous play capacity that characterized his Ohio State career with a 45-yard gathering that Ginn covered off by avoiding limits from the get-go in the second from last quarter of Carolina’s possible 24-10 misfortune to the Denver Broncos. Ginn got done with four gatherings for 74 yards in the loss.
Ginn’s greatest years as a genius recipient came in Carolina, where he got 134 passes for 2,047 yards and 19 touchdowns over the three seasons he went through with the Panthers. That creation got him a couple of more years in the NFL with the Saints, where he got 100 passes for 1,417 yards and eight scores from 2017-2019.
Ginn completed his time in the NFL with six games with the Chicago Bears in 2020 preceding considering it a lifelong this week. He takes off into retirement with almost 10 years and a portion of NFL experience, a conference title and two Super Bowl appearances to his name.
“I enjoyed everything that I done, so I have no regrets,” Ginn said. “It was a joy. It was time, it was needed. I left a mark and that’s all you can really do. My dad always told me to leave my name on something, I left my name on something.”