Veteran WR Derrick Mason Says He Is Retiring
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) -- Veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason has decided to retire after 15 NFL seasons.
The two-time Pro Bowl selection caught 943 career passes for 12,061 yards and 66 touchdowns.
Mason, 37, spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, later playing six seasons for the Baltimore Ravens.
"I'm done," Mason said. "I won't be playing football. I only knew one play to play football, going all-out and having fun out there."
Cut by the Ravens before training camp in July, he was signed by the New York Jets and later traded to the Houston Texans.
Mason caught 19 passes for 170 yards this season with the Jets and Texans.
Mason plans to pursue a career in broadcasting and has appeared on NFL Network recently.
"I'm spending some time at home and doing as much as I can to really get entrenched in some broadcasting network whether it be nationally or do something here locally," Mason said. "I enjoy it a lot."
Other than not winning a Super Bowl after playing in one with the Titans when they lost to the St. Louis Rams following the 1999 NFL season, Mason said he leaves the game with no regrets.
"I leave it healthy and able to run and walk and not take a half-hour or 45 minutes to get out of bed," Mason said. "I don't have lingering pains as of now. Me leaving now, even though it didn't happen the way I wanted it to happen, I had a good run. It was fun while it lasted."
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
