Giants’ Chris Snee retires, ‘my body has had enough’
By Mike Dyce
After some speculation that an announcement was coming, New York Giants right guard Chris Snee has formally announced his retirement from the NFL. At 32-years-old, after a 10 year career, hip and elbow injuries have become to big of an issue for him to continue.
“I felt worse by continuing to work out,” Snee told Josina Anderson of ESPN. “I am nowhere near the level of strength that I usually have. That’s been my game for 10 years, being one of the strongest players out there and using that to my advantage. If I don’t have that, I wouldn’t be able to do my job the way I expect, but also with what they expect of me. That’s kind of what [Giants G.M. Jerry Reese] and I agreed upon in March when we decided to try this thing and see if I can come back. I told him that he had my word, that I would be honest with him, and I was. I’ve told him that my body has had enough. With the way last season ended that’s the last thing I wanted to experience again.”
Snee certainly has nothing left to prove, after four Pro Bowls, three All-Pro nods, and two Super Bowl rings. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is Snee’s father-in-law, and Snee spent his entire career under Coughlin.
“To me, he was the best guard in all of football,” Coughlin said, via the Giant’s website. “No doubt. No matter who you put him against, all of the great defensive tackles in the game, the 350 (pound) guys, the 340 guys, he blocked them. When he first came here, he was so, so committed and so driven to excel at the professional level as he had excelled at the collegiate level (at Boston College).”