Rams OL Andrew Whitworth retiring after 16 NFL seasons

Andrew Whitworth, the Los Angeles Rams' All-Pro tackle and 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner announced his retirement Tuesday morning after 16 seasons in the NFL.

The team tweeted a farewell message from Whitworth Tuesday morning. 

"I think in our time here in the last five years that I've been here, it's a mixture of the people the schemes the culture, all those things coming together and always being willing to adapt and grow," Whitworth said in the video.

"To me when I think of the journey and all of the people who have been involved, I think that's really what I think of most. I don't think of the trophies, I don't think of the championships, I think of the people."

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Whitworth joined the Rams ahead of the 2017 season, at 36 years old, after 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. That season he won earned a first-team All-Pro selection and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

A decorated athlete on the field, Whitworth was arguably known more for his actions off the field. In 2018, Whitworth donated a game check to victims of the Thousand Oaks shooting. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his wife Melissa Whitworth donated $50,000 to an Inglewood restaurant pleading with the community to help them keep their doors open. The couple's Big Whit Foundation has served local communities in the cities they've lived in for more than a decade.

Whitworth retires as a four-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, and most recently a Super Bowl Champion.

Whitworth and the Rams are expected to hold a press conference to make the announcement official Tuesday morning.

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