San Diego Chargers’ Jeromey Clary Retires

By MH
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Updated: January 8, 2015

(Courtesy of @chargers_uk)

The great San Diego Charger player, Jeromey Clary, announced his retirement today. He was the “ultimate pro” for nine years, and he gave everything he had to the team despite the injuries he suffered.

Clary made the following statement through the official Chargers website:

“Honestly, it has been a long time coming now with the two hip injuries,” he said. “San Diego was a great place to play, and I couldn’t have asked for a better organization to play for. All the coaches and all the players I was with, and the friendships I’ve built … I’m honored to have played for an organization like this. It means the world to me. I’ve processed this decision a lot and gone through it a lot, and to be honest with you, I’m really excited about the future. I look forward to getting back to Texas and being around my family.

As Clary reflects back on his time in San Diego, two moments stand out, including one that kicked off his lengthy career.

“The proudest moment of my career would be the day I made the active roster,” he said. “My parents happened to be in town and I remember driving home and my dad was standing out on the driveway with my wife Breanna and my mom. He knew how much I wanted to do this, and he knew how much I loved this and what it meant to me. When I drove in he put his fists up in the air and he was excited. It was a good time I’ll never forget. That was the beginning of my career.

Fittingly, the other main memory at the forefront is the final play of his career, which sealed the Bolts’ Wild Card victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last January.

“The other memory that I’ll have is the last play I ever played,” he said. “It was Ronnie Brown’s 58-yard touchdown, so my last play was a walk-off home run with Ronnie Brown. What better way is there to go out than winning a playoff game on a walk-off home run?

“Spending a lot of time with Philip, Nick (Hardwick), Malcom (Floyd) and Mike Scifres, and getting to be around all the guys was an absolute honor,” he said. “Getting to meet guys from teams you played against and then they become teammates like Jarret Johnson and Dwight Freeney; it is an awesome experience. Just being with the guys and hanging out was always my favorite part. Those plane rides to and from games, especially enjoying those long plane rides from the east coast back to the west coast after a big victory … those are some of the best times you can ask for.”

Jeromey Clary has similar memories when it comes to the fans.

“That playoff game against Indy when (Darren) Sproles had that 30-iso he took to the house, that’s probably one of the greatest feelings I ever had in my life. It’s not only because we won the game, but also because of the way our stadium reacted. It was an intoxicating environment. It was awesome. I’ll never get that high back from what it’s like to run out of the tunnel and all that, so I’m grateful for everybody.”

“I’m grateful for the time I got to spend with Hal Hunter,” he said. “The dedication he gave to me in my career, I don’t have words to explain how grateful I am for him. He spent countless hours with me working on things and he helped develop me into the technician that I was. Your time in the league is all about timing. I just happened to be at the right place with the right coach at the right time. Hal spent a lot of time with me and helped me a great deal, so I’m extremely grateful for his efforts. And then Joe D. … he is an amazing guy. He knows how to work us. I’m blessed with the weird sense that I love work, so that was a good relationship for me. He is a great guy who really cares about his players. He demands a lot out of his players, but everyone does it because Joe D. is such a great guy. He gives us all a really good environment to where you feel comfortable and are willing to go the extra mile for him.”

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