After 10 years in the NFL, Linebacker Tahir Whitehead has announced his retirement from the league. He delivered the news at the Detroit Lions training facility in Allen Park, Friday afternoon.

Tahir was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. When asked Friday if he ever imagined he’d play ten years in the NFL as a fifth round draft pick he said, “Not in a million years.”

The linebacker played for several teams, including the Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals. He totaled over 650 career tackles in the 142 games he played.

The longest stretch he had with a team was in Detroit. He played for the first 6 years of his career for the Lions. The 32-year-old says he always wanted to come back to Detroit. He added, “I probably would have preferred to never leave, if you asked me.”

Whitehead called Detroit his “second home.” He said he’ll be spending most of his time in the city from here on out. He wants to continue to give back and help make a difference for kids in Detroit.  He spoke on the city saying, “It’s no B.S.”  Adding, “What you see is what you get and I always loved it.”

Whitehead was very passionate about the love for the Lions organization. Passionate for the teams he was a part of, and the Lions’ fans.  He stated, “I wanted to play my whole career here, so that’s why it was important to me to come back here and retire a Lion.”

Maddy Miller – Detroit Lions Beat Reporter

Photo Credit: Maddy Miller