Who really knows best: father or the media?
Just ahead of kickoff for Sunday’s first week of NFL football, reports streamed out that Larry Fitzgerald was passing word around the league this season would be his last.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the nine-time Pro Bowler told “people close to him” that he expects to retire after this year, that he would be hanging up his cleats after 13 terrific NFL seasons.
Larry Fitzgerald Sr. — self reporting that he is “pretty close to him” — disputed the report to Rapoport’s face (or avatar).
Fitzgerald, a 32-year-old surefire Hall of Famer, has had a sensational career, the entirety of which has been spent with Arizona. He’s amassed more than 13,000 yards and 98 touchdowns — although no Super Bowl ring — before a season in which Arizona is heavily favored to make a repeat run to the playoffs.
Fitzgerald Sr. — a longtime freelance sportswriter — later retweeted a message saying perhaps the star receiver would retire if he got a ring. But he also retweeted a message that shows he’s used to the constant speculation that his son will be leaving — either Arizona or the league itself.