Dallas Cowboys legendary quarterback Troy Aikman congratulated linebacker Sean Lee after announcing his retirement on Monday.
The Dallas Cowboys were already bracing for an eventful week with the NFL Draft beginning this Thursday. But on Monday, the fanbase received the news that longtime linebacker Sean Lee had announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons.
The tributes poured in for Lee, who had been one of the better linebackers on the Cowboys in recent memory. Among the many to give Lee props for a tremendous career was legendary Cowboys quarterback and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.
Congratulations @seanlee_50 on your Cowboys career. You did it with tremendous class. Much respect👊🏼
— Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) April 26, 2021
Cowboys: Troy Aikman congratulates Sean Lee on 11-year career with Cowboys
Game recognizing game. That is the best way to put Aikman’s shoutout to Lee on a great career.
Lee had been with the Cowboys since 2010, when the team selected him in the second-round of the NFL Draft out of Penn State. When on the field, Lee was a dominant force and played the role of a heat-seeking missile to whoever was carrying the football. That is why he made the Pro Bowl twice (2015-16) and was named first-team All-Pro once (2016).
The issue was that Lee had been sidelined with a variety of injuries throughout his career, which curtailed his potential. This past season, Lee was limited to nine games after he underwent sports hernia surgery. After sitting on the open market for more than a month, Lee decided to retire from the game altogether. Overall, Lee had missed nearly 60 games in his career.
In his career, Lee has tallied 802 total tackles (60 for loss), 30 defended passes, 15 quarterback hits, 14 interceptions, four sacks, four fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles.
With his playing career career officially over, Lee will undoubtedly go down as one of Dallas’ better defenders in the past decade.