Notable former Saints linebacker officially retires from football

A former New Orleans Saints linebacker, who has become famous for non-football reasons, is officially retiring. It marks the end of an interesting journey for the former Saints defender.

When you hear the name Manti Te'o, his time with the New Orleans Saints, or any NFL franchise he spent time with for that matter, isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, his second in Heisman voting for his 2012 season at Notre Dame that culminated in a National Championship loss isn't either. The former Golden Domer and Saints linebacker is far more famous for what happened to him off the field.

To make VERY long story short, Te'o was the victim of a romantic cat-fishing hoax, and it's very unfortunately affected him mentally, and it's honestly a testament to his character that he's come out stronger on the other side as a human being.

As far as a football player goes though, Te o has officially decided to hang up his cleats.

Te'o hasn't been in the NFL since 2020 when he spent time with the Chicago Bears, but the three seasons he spent with the Saints from 2017 to 2019 were arguably his best.

His 2017 season especially stands out, and it's notable for Saints fans has it's the one that ended in the Minneapolis Miracle. As far as Te'o was concerned though, his 62 total tackles were tied for fourth on the entire team, and he only started in ten games. He even batted down three balls and recovered a fumble on the side, and his efforts even got him some Comeback Player of the Year votes.

While his NFL career may not have amounted to as much as his college career at Notre Dame, the fact that Manti Te'o went through what he did makes his accomplishments all the more impressive. As he is a member of the New Orleans Saints family, this chapter in his life's story coming to a close deserves some shine and recognition.