WATCH: Greg Matzek and Jay Sorgi discuss the move made by B.J. Raji to take at least the 2016 season off.
A Green Bay Packers defensive tackle who was part of a Super Bowl championship run in 2010 has decided to end his career for now, according to reports.
Green Bay Press-Gazette reporter Ryan Wood says that B.J. Raji will be taking a year off of football, at least.
"This decision was made after hours of conversation with close family members and mentors and considerable self-introspection and is one in which I am absolutely certain. I cannot rule out a return to the NFL in the future, but I will definitely not be playing during the 2016 season," he said in a statement to the newspaper.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network shared his full statement as well:
Part 1 of BJ Raji's statement, as he said he's taking a "hiatus" from the @NFL pic.twitter.com/RY5mZsIH6X
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2016
Part 2 of #Packers DL BJ Raji's retirement statement pic.twitter.com/EoB2xd6cx6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2016
Raji played six years in Green Bay after being drafted in the first round from Boston College in 2009.
His role was not as statistics-based, as interior defensive linemen are more often asked to plug holes for linebackers and others to make tackles.
However, he mad 11 sacks and 104 tackles in his career, per Pro Football Reference.
His crowning moment came in the 2010 NFC Title Game at Chicago, when he intercepted a Caleb Hanie pass and returned it for a touchdown that produced the deciding points in the Packers' 21-14 win which propelled them to Super Bowl XLV, a game they won two weeks later.
