Troy Polamalu announces his retirement

One of the most iconic names – and manes – of his era announced his retirement on Thursday. Safety Troy Polamalu, who has spent his entire 12-year career with the Steelers, officially called it quits upon determining that playing for no one was a better option than continuing his career outside of Pittsburgh.

The news was broken by the Uniontown (Pa.) Herald-Standard.

Polamalu was owed a base salary of $6 million next season and coming off the worst year of his career after getting no sacks or interceptions. His retirement saved the Steelers from the unenviable inevitability of cutting one of the most popular figures in franchise history.

“I did not seriously consider playing elsewhere,” Polamalu told the newspaper. “It was just whether or not I wanted to play. I had talked to a lot of people about what I should do with my situation, and what they kept saying back to me, and which was not a sufficient reason, was ‘Troy, you played 12 years in the NFL, you won Super Bowls, won individual awards. There’s nothing left to prove. You have a legacy.’ And I just kept saying, ‘First of all, I don’t care about a legacy. Second of all, I play the game because I enjoy it.’ That’s the reason to keep playing.

“Like I said, what it came down to was definitely family. If I’m in my fourth year, fifth year, even if I’m in my 10th year, I’m playing in Alaska. But when I started this process and started to debate whether I should come back or should I play, that was kind of the sign for me to say ‘Whoa, if you’re just even debating it maybe you shouldn’t play anymore,’ because what I do know about this game is it takes a lot – a lot – of commitment just to be an average player.”

With his flowing locks and swashbuckling style, Polamalu was actually a perfect fit for the franchise’s original name – the Pirates. He took no prisoners, leaping over linemen to ransack opposing backfields and set the tone for the newest generation of Pittsburgh’s defensive tradition.

Undoubtedly, the next step in Polamalu’s football life will be in Canton just a few years down the road.

Steelers RB Bell suspended three games

Polamalu won’t be the only key Steeler missing from the lineup on opening day.

Pittsburgh running back Le’Veon Bell will be suspended for the first three games of the 2015 regular season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Bell and former teammate Legarrette Blount were arrested last August on charges of marijuana possession and DUI. Blount, who was the passenger in the vehicle, is only facing a one-game suspension.

Bell was the bell cow for the Steelers offense last season. He was second in the NFL with 1,361 rushing yards and ranked second on the Steelers with 83 receptions for 854 yards.

Bell is expected to appeal the ruling.

Seahawks DE Bennett still thinks Graham is soft

Michael Bennett and Jimmy Graham are now teammates. But that doesn’t mean the Seahawks defensive end respects his old rival.

Bennett sounded off on Graham on a Seattle radio show Thursday.

When the Seahawks beat the Saints in the playoffs two years ago, Bennett opined that Graham was “overrated” and called him “one of the softest players in the NFL.”

He has not changed that opinion just because they’ll be wearing the same uniform.

“I still feel the same way, just because he’s on my team I don’t stop feeling that way,” Bennett told ESPN 710 AM in Seattle. Obviously I’m going to be a better teammate to him … I can’t do the things I was doing to him when we were playing him.”

Bennett said Graham has to get tougher to cut it as a Seahawk.

“We have a different philosophy than what he had with the Saints, so the things he was expected to do with the Saints are going to be different here,” Bennett said. “Obviously we’re a running team, so he’s going to have to block and do all those things.”