NFL: Veteran S Yeremiah Bell tells hometown paper ‘I’m done’

Yeremiah Bell was never supposed to be in the NFL.

Bell was 22 years old and had been working in a steel mill in Kentucky for two years before walking on at Eastern Kentucky and making the team.

Then he ruptured his patellar tendon playing basketball before his senior year for the Colonels and didn’t play a game that season.

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But the Miami Dolphins took a flyer, drafting Bell in the sixth round in 2003.

He developed into a defensive back good enough to start at both safety positions for 10 seasons and three teams, even making a Pro Bowl in 2009.

But he told the Winchester (Ky.) Sun that it’s over.

"“I’m done,” Bell said. “It’s not official because my agent hasn’t turned in the papers yet but within myself, I’ve played my career.”"

Bell spent the 2003 season on the Dolphins’ practice squad before earning a spot on the 53-man roster in 2004.

He became a full-time starter for Miami in 2008 and made the Pro Bowl the following season.

In the spring of 2012, he signed as a free agent with the New York Jets and he moved on to the Arizona Cardinals last season, where he started all 16 games at strong safety and finished the season with 77 tackles, two interceptions, a sack and nine pass breakups.

In a 10-year career, Bell had eight picks, forced nine fumbles, made 13 sacks and broke up 54 passes.

There was much speculation throughout the spring and summer that the 36-year-old was going to retire after he didn’t sign with anyone as a free agent.

"“I’m going to miss it and I’m supposed to, but at the same time as a person, you have to know when to say when,” Bell said. “The last couple years, it’s been on my mind. This year, I knew of knew. Honestly, not many NFL players get to 10 years. For some reason when I got going, (10 years) was always the magic number in my head. I’m not one of those guys who wants to play until my wheels fall off.”"

Bell said he wants to take a year off and then get into coaching at the high school level.

"“I want to coach the game when it’s still fun and the kids are still learning,” Bell said. “The kids are still raw and I can teach a lot of what I learned and just go out there and have fun with it. I just want to coach high school and give back some of the things I’ve learned.”"

That’s an admirable goal for a player whose career started in a steel mill.

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