Former Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata decided to call it quits on top of a mountain.
On Monday, Haloti Ngata officially announced that he will retire from the NFL after 13 seasons in the league.
He made his announcement via Instagram in a photo that saw him standing on top of the highest point in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, with a banner saying, “I’m retiring from the NFL on top,” complete with the logos from the Ravens, Lions, and Eagles on the banner.
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Ngata was selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. This was the first time that the Ravens selected a defensive lineman in the first round. He teamed up with middle linebacker Ray Lewis, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs and defensive end Jarret Johnson. The defense started to come alive with hard hits, deflected passes, and sacks.
Quarterback Robert Griffin III can tell you about the hard hits from Ngata. In the 2012 season, during Week 14, the Baltimore Ravens played the Washington Redskins. After a snap, Griffin tried to run for a first-down but Ngata tackled him, twisting his right knee. When it was all over, Griffin had to limp off the field. That was just an example of what Ngata could do. He continued his reign of terror on the field and with his help in the middle of the defense, leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII victory.
In 2014, his troubles began. Ngata was suspended in December for four games after violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
During the 2015 offseason, Ngata was traded to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a fourth pick, and the team later selected Za’Darius Smith. There, Ngata only played 13 games due to a shoulder injury. He stayed with the Lions for two seasons but was never able to complete the same amount of tackles.
In 2018, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, which would end up being his final NFL resting home. Ngata could not build any momentum that he did with the Ravens and only recorded 17 combined tackles.
The stats don’t lie. Ngata had a much better record with the Ravens. He fit right into former general manager Ozzie Newsome’s style; he was a hard hitting, run-stuffing defensive tackler. He was able to be a terror on the field due to the defensive scheme of the Ravens. Ngata quickly became a Baltimore favorite, not to mention his television commercials for Royal Farms chicken, which were a hit.
Once a Raven, always a Raven. Congratulations to Haloti Ngata on a great career.
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