A former Penn State defensive lineman has called it a career in the NFL. Anthony Zettel announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday, bringing a close to his four-year career as NFL camps have opened up around the league.
Zettel announced his retirement from professional football with a statement shared on his Instagram account.
“I believe passion and energy is an essential part of being a leader and elite athlete,” Zettel said in his statement. “I have always said that when you lose those components, it is time to find something different that motivates and inspires you. Today I share bittersweet news that after much deliberation and reflection, I have decided to walk away from the sport that has given me so much over the years.”
Zettel went on to say the San Francisco 49ers recently asked him to return to the team for camp, which he did. But after a week in camp, Zettel realized he no longer wanted to go through the grind that life in the NFL requires.
Zettel was a first-team All-Big Ten player for Penn State in 2014 when he recorded 17 tackles for a loss with eight sacks. He went on to be a sixth-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions in the NFL draft in 2016. After three seasons with the Lions, Zettel was released by the Lions and he skipped to multiple stops around the league the following three-plus years with the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and the 49ers (twice).
We will watch to see what comes next for Zettel and hope he enjoyed his retirement from playing football.
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