Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth has hinted at retirement after the 40-year-old won the Super Bowl. He still appears to be leaning that way, but one piece of wisdom he received from a sports legend gave him a bit of pause.
Whitworth appeared on “NFL Total Access” on Wednesday and said he was still pondering a final decision on retirement, though he admitted he was leaning toward calling it a career. He also admitted that there was some temptation to come back and go for another Super Bowl, a thought fueled by none other than Wayne Gretzky.
Whitworth and Gretzky live near each other in California, and the Rams offensive lineman admitted the four-time Stanley Cup champion made a good point about winning multiple titles.
“I’ll never forget after we won the game, the “Great One” Wayne Gretzky called me, cause I live out here near him in Sherwood,” Whitworth said, via Nick Shook of NFL.com. “He was like, ‘Hey Whit, there’s only one thing better than winning one, and that’s winning two.’ And I said, ‘You know what, I can’t argue with you.’ It’s gonna be tough. One way or another it’s gonna be a tough decision.”
Gretzky is not wrong, but he also wasn’t 40 when he won his first title. Whitworth has a lot of other considerations. The good news for him is that fears of a mass exodus from the Rams seem to have been overblown, so Whitworth would be returning to a very strong team. That said, he may still prove to be the exception to that.
Photo: Aug 18, 2021; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth (77) reacts during a joint practice against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
