The the Beastie Boys once said in the song It’s Time to Get Ill, “Lookin’ at my Gucci, it’s about that time.” Former Indianapolis Colts receiver Reggie Wayne sees the Sun setting and realizes it’s time to go home. The 37-year-old great told Mike Chappell of CBS4 Indianapolis that this is it for him in the NFL.
Wayne said Friday in a phone interview with Chappell when asked if he’ll retire, “I think so, bro, yeah. Yeah, I’m done. … It was fun, but it’s time. It’s just time. When I look at it, what else did I have to prove? In my mind, I never got as much pub as a lot of other guys, and that’s fine. I don’t care.
“You know what? Numbers don’t lie. People do, but numbers don’t lie. For me to be in that mix, man, that’s not too bad. I played against the elite of the elite, the best of the best. I was able to crack the top 10 of this and the top 10 of that, and be one of the best in franchise history. … Man, not too many people can say that.”
Lingering triceps, knee and elbow injuries he had in 2014 hampered his last season with the Colts. Then in 2015, he was signed by the New England Patriots and spent two weeks at their training camp before he asked for and was granted his release from the team. Then after seeing that there wasn’t much of a market for him, he had to know that his time in the NFL was up.
As one of the most prolific wide receivers of his generation, his 14,345 receiving yards are No. 8 all-time in the NFL. The funny thing there is that he’s just 235 behind former teammate Marvin Harrison. He didn’t draw attention to himself so he didn’t get much publicity but his six Pro Bowl selections and impressive career numbers will get him in Hall of Fame.