Sapp Set to Call it a Career?

Is Warren Sapp ready to hang it up? That’s the buzz around the league, as NFL Network’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Sapp told his teammates at a team meeting Friday that he is planning on hanging it up and is going to retire. The defensive tackle has had a tremendous career, spanning 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders. If he retires, he would walk away with one Super Bowl ring, 96.5 sacks, and seven Pro Bowls.

He was named as the defensive player of the year in 1999, and was a huge part of why the Bucs became the big force that they did on defense and it was that defense that led them to topping the Raiders in the Super Bowl in 2003. Sapp will be best remembered for his play on the field as well as his mouth, as he was one of the great trash talkers in the league. His rivalry with Brett Favre on the field was also one of the most fun to watch back when the Bucs played the Packers twice a season in the NFC North.

His career with the Raiders was less than memorable, as he never quite was able to lead the team anywhere near where he and the Tampa Bay defense got to. This past season was most frustrating, as his play slipped, and in a memorable moment in a loss to Jacksonville in week 16, Sapp drew an ejection for personal fouls for mouthing off to the refs. Love him or hate him though, Sapp was one of the more entertaining players in the league over the past 13 seasons.