Hines Ward

Hines Ward, Hines Ward believes he can still play football. The longtime Pittsburgh wide receiver known for his high-wattage smile and his bone-crunching blocks just couldn’t stomach the thought of doing it in some strange uniform on some strange field with nary a Terrible Towel in sight.

“I just wouldn’t feel right,” Ward said.  So, rather than play for a 15th season — and his first outside the Steel City — a tearful Ward opted to retire yesterday and secure a legacy unmatched in the franchise’s long history.

“I can say I’m a Steeler for life, and that’s the bottom line — that’s all I’ve really ever wanted,” Ward said.

Ward holds every significant franchise receiving record, including receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. His 1,000 career catches rank eighth all time and he is one of two players with at least 1,000 receptions and two Super Bowl rings.

The decision comes three weeks after the 36-year-old was released by the Steelers in a salary-cap maneuver. Ward said he was contacted by several clubs but never had any formal discussions. He insists there are no hard feelings for his release, understanding that football is a business. As if to prove the point, Ward embraced Steelers owner Art Rooney II after stepping away from the podium following the announcement.

“Thank you (Mr. Rooney) for giving a small-town boy from Forest Park, Ga., a chance,” Ward said.

The former third-round pick out of Georgia was due to make $4 million next season, an expensive option for a player whose role diminished significantly in 2011 when he finished with 46 receptions, the fewest since his rookie season in 1998. He embraced his role as mentor to Pro Bowlers Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown even though he knew they were chewing into his playing time.

“I know the wideouts are going to be in great hands,” he said. “They’re full of talent.”

Hines Ward Peyton

Hines Ward Peyton, It’s not an extreme scenario where keeping Ward will keep the Steelers from winning. Instead, it’s about showing respect and honor near the end of a player’s career instead of after it. “NFL stands for Not For Long.”

There are many mantras to describe the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately culture of the National Football League, and every season brings another round of reminders to players that they are nothing more than assets within a business. Despite an industry where money is made on the facade of tradition and loyalty, today’s NFL franchise is happy to look past the contributions of a player 9.9 times out of 10 in order to be more cost-effective, more efficient, etc.

The Kansas City Chiefs, for example, just watched the best offensive lineman on the team walk last off-season and the rumors were circulated that Brian Waters was past his prime and washed up. The duo of Ryan Lilja and Jon Asamoah was supposed to be better than anything Waters could add to the team and the Chiefs were going younger and (supposedly) better. One year later, Waters is named to yet another Pro Bowl and plays for the Super Bowl for the first time in his career protecting Tom Brady for the Patriots.