HEADLINE

Longtime NFL guard Levitre announces retirement

Field Level Media

May 14, 2019 at 5:32 pm.

Former Atlanta Falcons guard Andy Levitre announced his retirement on social media after 10 seasons and 143 starts with three NFL teams.

“Unfortunately, due to injury my body won’t allow me to continue any longer,” he wrote on Instagram on Tuesday, one day before his 33rd birthday. “Thank you to my wife and children, my family, friends, coaches, teammates and all of the fans who supported me on this journey.”

Levitre ranked among the most durable players in the league for most of his career, starting all 16 games in each of his first eight seasons with the Buffalo Bills (2009-12), Tennessee Titans (2013-14) and Falcons.

His streak of 140 consecutive regular season starts ended after he suffered a torn triceps in Week 13 of 2017.

The same injury limited the former second-round pick (51st overall in 2009) to just two games for Atlanta in 2018.

His contract expired with the Falcons following the 2018 season.