Veteran linebacker Lavonte David, who spent all 14 years of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, announced his retirement on Tuesday.
“I just want to start off by saying God is amazing,” David said at a press conference. “Fourteen years of playing football…To come to this moment, I never thought I’d be in this situation, I never thought I’d be here. Growing up, playing the game of football at six years old, I always did it for the fun of it – did it for the love of it – never cared about what came with it, just because it was [ingrained] in me a different way. The way it brings joy to people’s lives, the way I can impact people’s lives…My 14-year career was a journey. It was a long road to get here. Starting at Liberty City Optimist, going to Miami Northwestern and then going to junior college – that’s when I didn’t think I’d get here, just because of everything I went through there. It was a tough journey, but there I learned what it takes to become accountable and I learned that a lot of people depend on you.
“Going to the University of Nebraska, I kept that chip, kept that same mindset. Throughout every year that I’ve been here, I’ve had that same mentality – have that chip on my shoulder. Every time I step on the field, I want to prove myself right and all my doubters wrong. A lot of people in this building, a lot of guys I see, my family, helped me continue that dream, helped me continue that process. I want to thank everybody throughout my journey, throughout my career, for pushing me and helping me be the greatest I can be. To play at an organization for this long and to get all of the respect that I have from everybody and all my peers and the lives that I touched throughout my career, it’s something you can [only] dream of.”
David’s career earned him a tie with Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks as the career franchise leaders in total tackles (1,714), which also rank tied for the sixth-most in NFL history, per Opta StatsPass records.
The Miami native came to Tampa Bay as 22-year-old second-round selection out of Nebraska in the 2012 NFL Draft and steps away as a 12-time captain, Super Bowl LV champion and one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. David finished his career starting all 215 games in which he played to rank third in club history both appearances/
Over his storied career, David posted 1,714 tackles (177 for loss), 79 quarterback hits, 73 passes defensed, 42.5 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, 21 fumble recoveries, 14 interceptions and three defensive touchdowns, securing one Associated Press first-team All-Pro selection (2013), two AP second-team All-Pro selections (2016, 2020) a Pro Bowl nod (2015) and a spot on NFL.com’s 2010s All-Decade Team.
He stands alongside Pro Football Hall of Famers Ray Lewis, Junior Seau, Jason Taylor and Brian Urlacher as the only players since at least 1982 with 35+ takeaways and 40+ sacks in their careers.
David owns the franchise records for tackles for loss, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries, in addition to tying Brooks for the all-time tackles record. His sack total leaves him sixth in team annals but first among all inside linebackers.
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