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Todd Gurley blasts media for retirement report, cites fake news

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery10/21/22
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(Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

In a very strange twist of events, former Georgia star Todd Gurley II blasted the media for reporting that he officially retired on Friday afternoon. The prolific running back took to Twitter to blast the media, once reports of his retirement surfaced.

He started by saying “Y’all late!! So ready for a story I can’t even do my own first for my friends and family…”. Then he decided to chime in later on Friday evening on Twitter with “Fake News.” Keep in mind, NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano was the first to report Gurley’s unofficial retirement, when he spoke with the former Georgia star himself on Thursday. A few days ago, Gurley even sent out a tweet thanking multiple people in helping him accomplish the great things he had in his career, which led many to believe a retirement announcement was coming sometime soon.

Gurley, now 28 years old, has not played football since the 2020 season. He even added that his career was finished in a follow-up question in the Thursday interview with Siciliano on NFL Network.

So, we’ll have to see how to decipher the tweets from him. Maybe he’s just joking around. Maybe he does try to play one more season. It’s tough to tell at this point. It’s also very difficult to determine what exactly he’s trying to say with his tweets, since he basically retired in the interview.

Of course, one could say the retirement is not an official announcement from Gurley. According to multiple reports, there are no retirement papers officially filed with the National Football League. So, we’ll just have to wait for an official tweet or press release from the man himself.

We’ll see what he decides to do in the future.

Todd Gurley was one of the most prolific running backs on every level of football he played on

While his career was cut short due to arthritis in his left knee, there’s no question that when he was at his peak in the National Football League, he was one of the best running backs to ever suit up. The prime of his career came during the 2015 to 2018 seasons, when he shredded through defenses with ease and showcased his talent as one of the best all-purpose backs the game has ever seen. While it was for only a few short years, it was impossible to watch Gurley play in his prime and not be amazed.

During that time span with the Los Angeles Rams (2015-2018), he racked up 4,5457 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns on the ground. The former Georgia standout also hauled in 187 catches for 1,883 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns through the air. Unquestionably, his best season came in the 2017 season when he was named the NFL Offensive Player of Year.

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Gurley was simply unstoppable, leading the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns, 19 total touchdowns, and 2,093 yards from scrimmage and all-purpose yards. The North Carolina native became the 16th player in NFL history with a 750 rushing yards/750 receiving yards in a season. He also became just the eighth player in NFL history to record over 1,300 rushing yards and over 750 receiving yards in the same season. Gurley wrapped up his prolific career finishing with 6,082 rushing yards and 67 touchdowns. As a receiver, He reeled in 243 catches for 2,254 receiving yards, while bringing in 12 touchdowns.

It didn’t take him long to make a splash in the NFL, as he was also named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015 after rushing for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns. Gurley also had another remarkable season during the 2018 campaign, when he piled up 1,831 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns. That season earned him a third-place finish in the NFL AP Offensive Player of the Year voting. During his six years in the National Football League, Gurley played for two teams–the Los Angeles Rams (five years) and the Atlanta Falcons (one year).

When he suited up for the Georgia Bulldogs, he established himself as one of the best running backs in school history–piling up 3,285 rushing yards during his time there. He currently ranks fourth on the Bulldogs’ all-time rushing yardage leader list. The 6-foot-1, 224-pound tailback also racked up 36 total rushing touchdowns in his career–ranking him tied for third in Georgia history.

A dynamic athlete coming out of Tarboro High School (Tarboro, North Carolina), Gurley shined on the track and the football field. He guided the Vikings to a 2A North Carolina state crown as a senior, after rushing for 242 yards and four touchdowns in the state championship game against Lincolnton High School. As a senior in 2011, Gurley earned North Carolina Associated Press Player of the Year honors after racking up 2,600 yards and 38 touchdowns. He was ranked as the No. 8 running back and the No. 66 player in America for the 2012 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings.