Super Bowl champion, Buccaneers great Lavonte David retires after 14 seasons: 'God is amazing'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fable Lavonte David announced his status connected Tuesday astatine a property conference.

David, 36, spent 14 seasons with the Buccaneers and was the team’s longest-tenured player, including being a cardinal subordinate of their Super Bowl-winning team. He spent 12 seasons arsenic a captain.

 "I conscionable privation to commencement disconnected by saying, man, ‘God is amazing.’ 14 years of football, to travel to this moment, I ne'er thought I’d beryllium successful this situation. I ne'er thought I’d beryllium here," David said.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) leaves the tract aft an NFL shot crippled against the Miami Dolphins successful Miami Gardens, Florida, connected Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)

Since David entered the NFL successful 2012, helium leads the league successful solo tackles (1,171) portion having the second-most tackles for nonaccomplishment (177) successful that span. He is 1 of 3 players to grounds 40-plus sacks and 35-plus takeaways successful his career. Pro Football Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher are the different two.

David said helium played shot for the "fun of it, for the emotion of it." He called his vocation a journey.

"Every clip I stepped connected the tract I wanted to beryllium myself right, and each my doubters wrong."

David got affectional talking astir his precocious parents and the sacrifices they made for him.

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FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) with his household earlier an NFL shot crippled against the New Orleans Saints, Oct. 26, 2025, successful New Orleans. (AP Photo/Ella Hall, File)

"Growing up wherever I grew up, it ain’t easy. It ain’t casual but they recovered a mode for maine and you don’t recognize that until you get older and until you person kids of your own, the sacrifices they made for you. The things they did for you," a tearful David said.

"It’s just, reasoning astir my dad, the sacrifices helium made. He was ne'er the breadwinner successful our family, but for immoderate crushed helium and my ma made it enactment and their narration lasted for truthful long. And erstwhile you saw however they was compatible with each different and however they made our lives easier. We had 1 car, my ma took the car to enactment and my dada utilized to instrumentality maine to signifier connected his handlebars connected a bike. We utilized to locomotion sometimes, and arsenic a kid you’d beryllium like, ‘Dang man, that locomotion was a acold walk.’ You recognize it’s a sacrifice that you gotta marque to assistance your sons, kids dreams travel true. And they did it."

When David’s ma passed distant successful 2016, helium said helium didn’t attraction astir shot anymore due to the fact that helium wanted to assistance her marque her dreams travel existent aft she made his dreams travel true.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy during a solemnisation of the team's Super Bowl LV triumph implicit the Kansas City Chiefs successful Tampa, Florida, connected Feb. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

David’s begetter passed distant soon aft the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl successful 2021.

David tied Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks’ franchise tackle grounds of 1,714 successful his last regular-season game. He has played the third-most games successful Buccaneers past down Brooks (224) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Rondé Barber (241).

The Buccaneers selected David with their second-round prime successful the 2012 NFL Draft retired of Nebraska. He made the Pro Bowl erstwhile successful his career, was named a first-team All-Pro erstwhile and a second-team All-Pro twice.

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