National Football League

Lions president Tom Lewand sheds light on Barry Sanders retirement

Published May. 28, 2015 2:03 p.m. ET

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Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders was one of the best to ever play the game. Sanders was invited to the Pro Bowl after each of his 10 NFL seasons and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Yet, Sanders' departure from the game remains mysterious. He was only 30 years old after the 1998 season, but the star running back decided to retire less than 1,500 yards shy of the league's all-time rushing record.

Recently, Lions president Tom Lewand was able to shed some light on Sanders' early decision to retire.

"A little bit of that (story) reveals I think his decision," Lewand said, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "He knew that football, it wasn't his identity. It was more than just football, it was being a father, it was being a man of the community, he is a man of faith as well. But for him it was more than just football, and I think for him, that combined with some of the things that were happening with the offense and things that were happening football wise, and then I think his own body, he knew his body better than anybody."

Sanders never rushed for less than 1,000 yards in a given season and remains the No. 3 rusher of all time behind Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton.

(h/t Detroit Free Press)

Photo Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images

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