After playing ten seasons with five different teams, former Penn State defensive end Jack Crawford retired from the NFL on Tuesday.
Thank you @NFL @NFLUK pic.twitter.com/6d4E4DQMYt
— Jack Crawford (@Sack_Religious) May 17, 2022
Crawford made his statement on Twitter saying that “I know my time has come to step away from the game and close the chapter in my life in the league.
He further reflected on his journey from moving from his native London, England to America as a teenager and learning the American football in his statement: “At 16 years old, I left my family and friends in the UK and moved to the US. I couldn’t have imagined the journey that lay ahead of me, it feels like it flew by, and I am grateful for every minute.
Crawford was a three-year starter for the Nittany Lions and was a consistent contributor in the last years of the Joe Paterno era. In 2009, he garnered All-Big Ten mention with 31 tackles (14.5 for loss) and 5.5 sacks. After an injury-shortened 2010, he started every game in 2011 as he recorded 40 tackles (7.5 for loss) and six sacks in a trying season for the program.
Crawford was a fifth-round pick in 2012 by the Oakland Raiders, where he played his first two seasons there and recorded 17 tackles. He went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals. His best seasons were in 2016, where he recorded 27 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 12 quarterback hurries in 10 starts for the Cowboys, and in 2018 he recorded 35 tackles (7 for loss), six sacks, nine quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and one interception for the Falcons.
Salute to Crawford for coming to another country at a later age for starting a sport and carving a ten-year career out for himself. Nittany Lion nation wishes you the best in your next journey.
Twitter: @bwalkerdadon
