Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Gonzalez retirement buzz
By Tim Kavanagh
During his 16th season of NFL football, Atlanta Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez dropped numerous hints that the 2012 campaign would be his last, even offering percentages indicating that he was almost certainly retiring. However, he continued to play at a high level up through the NFC championship game, urging some to believe that perhaps he'd have another go at things for a 17th season.
"I'm hoping for the 5 percent," Falcons HC Mike Smith said this week, referring to Gonzalez's season-long assertion that he's 95 percent certain he will retire, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Tony handled this very well all season long. I don't think he's deviated from that. ... Tony and I will have a conversation over the next couple of weeks. This is a tough day, and the next couple of days are tough with the finality. I don't think we really need to be discussing anything like that [yet]."
ESPN NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas weighed in the Gonzalez issue on Tuesday morning:
Pat Yasinskas
A return isn't out of the question"Gonzalez still played at a very high level and looks like he could continue to contribute. Some teammates have been lobbying Gonzalez. But I think he'll take a month or so to back away from the game and then make a final decision on what he wants to do."
