LB A.J. Hawk retires as a member of the Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers carried out a classy move on Tuesday. A.J. Hawk, a stalwart and consistent player on the team for nine seasons, will retire as a member of the team that drafted him.

The team announced the move with a press release on Tuesday morning.

Hawk holds the Packers’ franchise record for total tackles with 1,118. He also played 142 of a possible 144 games in his nine years as a Packer, missing only two contests during the 2011 season. Hawk recorded 9 interceptions, four forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries as a Packer and he also added a total of 19.0 sacks, recording at least a half-sack in every season in Green Bay.

During the 2013 offseason, Acme Packing Company interviewed Hawk via email to get his thoughts on a number of different topics. Universally praised as a great professional and a great person off the field, I had the opportunity to observe that in person in my few interactions with him.

Hawk is an Ohio native and alumnus of the Ohio State University. He attended the NFL’s “Broadcast Boot Camp” in 2013 and currently hosts “The Hawk Cast,” a podcast centered around football and sports on which several current and former Packers players have made guest appearances.

Congratulations to Hawk on a great career!