SAN JOSE, Calif. — Osi Umenyiora got the call on Monday. Justin Tuck told his good friend and former partner in pass-rush mayhem that he was retiring after 11 years in the NFL.
“I was like, ‘No, you’re not’ and he was like, ‘Yes, I am,’ ” Umenyiora told The Post on Monday night. “I’m happy for him. He did everything he needed to do.’’
Tuck, 32, took to Facebook to announce his retirement. He played in only five games this past season for the Raiders before landing on injured reserve with a torn pectoral. Many of those closest to him never could get used to seeing Tuck in Raiders silver and black. Not after nine years with the Giants.
“I would see him sending out stuff, tweeting stuff on the Raiders and in my head I’m like, ‘Tuck, you’re not fooling nobody, man,’ ’’ said Umenyiora, who was covering Opening Night at Super Bowl 50 for BBC Sports. “I know where his head is. He should retire as a Giant. I hope he does.’’
What Umenyiora wants to see is Tuck and Tom Coughlin enter the Giants’ Ring of Honor this coming season, together. Umenyiora is already in after notching 75 of his 85 career sacks with the Giants before playing his final two NFL seasons with the Falcons. Tuck had 60.5 of his 66.5 career sacks with the Giants.
“When you feel like you’ve done everything you needed to do, like he has, what are you going to do?’’ Umenyiora said. “Come back and play for whatever it was he was gonna play for? He’s a champion, he’s won Super Bowls, he’s been to Pro Bowls, nothing left for him to do. I’m happy for him and it was the right time.’’
Tuck, Umenyiora and Michael Strahan led a fearsome Giants defensive front that paved the way to victory over Tom Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. It was Tuck, Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul who repeated that feat in Super Bowl XLVI.
“It’s really the end of an era, man,’’ Umenyiora said. “It’s now really an official end or one of the real eras. It was sad to know there’s really none of us left. I mean, Eli [Manning] is there, but when you talk about defensive line — you don’t know what’s going to happen with Pierre-Paul and if he doesn’t go back to the Giants then it’s really, really the end of an era. It was cool.’’
The era also included Coughlin, whose time as head coach of the Giants ended after a 12-year run.
“He’s a great man, a great coach, he retired,’’ Umenyiora said. “You got to do that sometimes, rather than making things awkward for everybody. I think he did the right thing and he walked away a champion. When you think about him you’re not going to remember none of this, you’re gonna remember the last two Super Bowl championships he won and that’s the most important thing.”