‘I’m going out on top,’ says defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, 35, who announced his NFL retirement after a stellar 13-year career by revealing a flag on the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest point.
As he announced his retirement on Monday, Ngata expressed his thanks with a “heart full of gratitude.”
From the 19340ft summit at Uhuru Peak, a banner reading “I’m retiring from the NFL on top” was hoisted.
Ngata, a two-time All-Pro who appeared in five Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl, was a two-time All-Pro.
From the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, defensive lineman Haloti Ngata declared his retirement from football.
On Monday morning, the 13-year NFL veteran shared a selfie of himself on the 19340-foot peak, waving a banner that said, ‘I’m retiring from the NFL on top.’
‘Just a man on top of the world, full of appreciation in his heart.’ Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to play the game I love for 13 incredible years,’ he wrote on social media.
‘I may be done playing football, but the connections, memories, and lessons I’ve gathered along the road are priceless.’
‘No one who has ever given his all has ever regretted it. I’m leaving with no regrets, only the satisfaction of knowing I gave it my all and had a great time doing it.’
Ngata, a two-time All-Pro who appeared in five Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, was a 35-year-old native of Inglewood, California.
He played nine seasons with the Ravens after being selected No. 12 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, followed by three seasons in Detroit and one in Philadelphia.
The Ravens were in the top five in the league in run defense in seven of his nine seasons in Baltimore.
Ngata has 519 tackles (63 for loss), 91 quarterback hits, 32.5 sacks, five interceptions, and seven forced fumbles in 180 career games (174 starts).
Find out which other celebrities have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro
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