Bucs Gameday

Ali Marpet Explains his Sudden Retirement from the Buccaneers

A recent interview with the Guardian shines new light on Ali Marpet's unexpected decision to retire from the NFL during the prime of his career.

Collin Haalboom

Tom Brady's retirement announcement was both upsetting and surprising to almost anyone associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization. Despite being 44 years old, and having played in the NFL for 22 seasons, his MVP level performance, and disappointing playoff exit in his final season, left fans wanting more.

So if Tom Brady's decision to retire at 44 years of age was a bit of a shock, then Ali Marpet's decision to retire at 28 was a 9.0 on the richt(i)er(ment) scale.

Ali Marpet

Throughout his 7-year career, Ali Marpet exceeded all expectations on the field. He also managed to endear himself to fans, coaches, and teammates alike, off of it.

READ MORE: Tom Brady on Josh Allen: "Josh really hasn't backed much up on the football field"

It’s rare for an offensive guard to be a fan favorite, but there’s no denying the fact that Ali Marpet was exactly that. He made a significant impact on the Buccaneers franchise from the moment the team drafted him out of Hobart College in 2015, until the day he announced his retirement as a Pro-Bowl player and Super Bowl Champion, in 2022.

So for a player who was so productive, appreciated, and at the height of his prime as an NFL player, it feels fair to pose the question: What gives?

Despite offering a brief explanation in his public retirement announcement on social media, most people have been forced to speculate as to what really led to Marpet’s decision to retire from football so suddenly.

Well, thanks to Melissa Jacobs, who conducted an interview with Marpet on this very topic, we finally have some closure on the subject at hand.

Although Marpet proved to be a durable player for the Bucs, it appears as though his body was taking more of a beating than most would have noticed—at least based on his consistently high level of play on the field.

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“I loved playing football. But one of my strongest values is health and if I’m really going to live out what’s important to me it doesn’t make sense to keep playing. There are also the unknowns of the head trauma of the NFL and how that plays out."

Having dealt with concussion issues as recently as the 2020 season—one where Marpet was forced to miss 3 regular-season games—his specific acknowledgment of head trauma in this interview indicates that his concern for the health of his mind, not just his body, was a major factor in his decision to retire. 

He also went on to discuss the toll that maintaining such a heavyweight can have on an NFL offensive linemen's body. He said, “I was eating as clean as possible for a 300-pounder but having all the weight on your body is bad."

It’s also about perspective. Ali Marpet has always been a thoughtful, and reflective yet forward thinker. Jacobs’ article does a great job of emphasizing this unique aspect of Marpet’s psyche—something that can in many ways be attributed to his upbringing and family influence—in addition to the person that he is and always has been.

As much as Marpet enjoyed his success as a football player, he never lost sight of his true purpose in life. Which to him, was his long-term physical and mental health, and overall well-being.

He's such an advocate for mental health, in fact, that he plans to pursue a Master's Degree in mental health counseling or marriage and family therapy. 

Ali Marpet left the NFL in his prime because he wanted to preserve his mind, his body, and his ability to live the rest of his life to the fullest.

During his 7-year NFL career, Ali Marpet managed to develop into an All-Pro caliber offensive guard, a Super Bowl champion, a beloved teammate, a community ambassador, a mental health advocate, and an aspiring ukulele player.

As much as Bucs fans will surely miss watching Ali Marpet stand toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful defensive linemen on the planet, or pancake defensive backs 15 yards downfield, or protect Tom Brady’s blindside while he stands comfortably in the pocket to deliver a perfect back-shoulder throw to Mike Evans along the sideline, I encourage those fans to continue to root him on. Maybe not as a star offensive lineman for their favorite football team, but as Ali Marpet, the person. 

Ali Marpet deserves support in his life after football, as it's obvious that he will be striving to become a happier, healthier version of himself, while at the same time, aspiring to help others achieve the same.

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.