Less than a week after one Baltimore Ravens great left the franchise, another is departing the NFL entirely. Former Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is retiring after 13 seasons in the league.
In an announcement made via his Instagram account, Ngata stands literally on top — the top of a mountain. Ngata took a photo at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro at 19,341 feet to make the announcement.
Selected by Baltimore in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft, Ngata was a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the defensive line. Used to help keep offensive linemen from getting to the second level and tangling up linebacker Ray Lewis, Ngata also had surprising athleticism that allowed him to find his way into the backfield often enough.
In nine seasons with the Ravens, Ngata had 449 combined tackles, 25.5 sacks, five fumble recoveries (including one returned for a touchdown) and five interceptions.
Ngata would be one of the few star Baltimore players to leave in free agency, joining the Detroit Lions for three seasons and the Philadelphia Eagles for one. Ngata was frequently injured in those seasons, and his play was nowhere near the level it was in Baltimore.
Still, he’s well known as one of the most dominant defensive tackles of his era and is a shoo-in for the Ravens’ Ring of Honor.
