The Nebraska football team is preparing for what it hopes will be the beginning of a return to the top of the sport's hill. Ndamukong Suh is officially preparing for the next chapter in his life after formally retiring from the NFL on Saturday.
Suh's announcement might come as a surprise to some, considering he hasn't played a down since 2022. However, the defensive tackle, who should have won the Heisman Trophy in 2009, had kept his options open. After all, if someone like the Philadelphia Eagles wanted to use him as a pass rush specialist in a run to the Super Bowl, why not say yes?
This weekend, Ndamukong Suh made his playing days officially done, citing a promise the former Nebraska football star made to his father. He also explained why the date he picked to make the move wasn't random.
Nebraska football great Ndamukong Suh officially retires from the NFL, pledging to a new chapter
July 12, 2024 was the hardest day of my life.
— Ndamukong Suh (@NdamukongSuh) July 12, 2025
It’s the day I said goodbye to my father, the man who raised me, shaped me, challenged me, and believed in me before I believed in myself.
He wasn’t just a dad. He was my idol, my coach, and my anchor.
He taught me what it meant to… pic.twitter.com/WkefQaDrsQ
"July 12, 2024, was the hardest day of my life," Suh posted on X. "It's the day I said goodbye to my father, the man who raised me, shaped me, challenged me, and believed in me before I believed in myself."
"He wasn't just a dad. He was my idol, my coach, and my anchor.
He taught me what it meant to be disciplined, focused, and relentless in everything I do."
"Before he passed, he gave me one final piece of advice," Suh added. "'It's time to let football go. You've done everything you set out to do. Now it's time for the next chapter."
"That conversation stayed with me," Suh wrote, before stating the motive behind the post. "So today, one year later, I'm honoring that wish, I'm officially retiring from the NFL."
In writing the social media message, one of the best to ever put on the pads for Nebraska, as well as several NFL teams, made it clear just how emotional the decision was. It took quite a while for him to finally follow his father's advice. Still, in picking Saturday, he managed to honor his father's advice and his memory in a way that few could ever hope to do.
In many ways, the former Nebraska football star had already started the next stage of his career. He owns his own business. He's looking at a burgeoning broadcasting career. He's a social media savant. And now he's someone who said goodbye to someone special to him in the best way possible.