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Mike Rucker to Retire

By Brinson | April 22, 2008

Sources buried deep inside the Carolina Panthers organization have indicated to me (read with sarcasm please) that Mike Rucker will announce his retirement from professional football this afternoon. In fact, if I lived/worked anything closer than an hour and a half from Charlotte, I would just go down there and tell you. As it is though, I have to take Chuck Chandler’s word for it.

Former Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker, an unrestricted free agent who has not signed with the team, will announce his retirement at a 1 p.m. news conference at Bank of America Stadium, according to a source close to the situation.

Rucker obviously wasn’t signed by anyone, so it’s not that shocking. It still hurts to see three-fourths of what was at one time the most dominant defensive line in the NFL no longer anywhere near the Panthers (Jenkins to the Jets, my boy Brentsen Buckner retired and now Rucker). On the other hand, at least the team is growing up and moving on — hanging onto ties with players that we can’t afford to roster never did anyone any good, especially as the Cats attempt to take strides forward in making this team relevant again.

Assuming the rumor is true, best wishes go out to Mike Rucker in all his future endeavors; Rucker spent his entire career with the Panthers and ranks second in team history with tackles and sacks at 553 and 55.5, respectively.

Photo courtesy of Charlotte.com