Dorsett: ‘A Good Time to Retire’

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett says he plans to finalize his NFL retirement papers this week and will devote his time to sports broadcasting and child-rearing.

Dorsett, an almost certain pick for the National Football League Hall of Fame and the No. 2 rusher in league history, said Tuesday he signed his retirement papers last week, two days after auditioning with ESPN for a job as a television sports broadcaster.

An injury last year forced Dorsett, who was playing for the Denver Broncos at the time, to end his 13-year pro football career.

Earlier this year, Dorsett became a full-time father, responsible for his 16-year-old son, Anthony, who until recently had lived with his mother, Karen Casterlow, in Aliquippa, Pa.

“My mom did all the raising, basically,” said Anthony, a junior at J. J. Pearce High School in suburban Richardson, Tex. “But now, my dad is going to try and be mom.”

Dorsett, the Cowboys’ all-time rushing leader, was traded to the Denver Broncos in 1988. He says he is excited about life after football but would have preferred to end his career under different circumstances.

“I would have liked to have ended my career on the field,” he said. “But they (the retirement papers) will be sent this week.They’re signed.”

Copies of the documents will be sent to Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Assn., to Broncos management and to the NFL commissioner’s office, he said.

Dorsett, who had 12,739 career rushing yards, hurt his knee in August while running a pass pattern. The injury forced him to sit out the entire season, but Dorsett said it was not the determining factor in his decision to retire.

“I’ve been playing this game for a long time,” he said, “and I have pretty much had enough. I am somewhat burned out.

“I did not think I would play this game until 40, so this is a good time to retire.”

Dorsett said he is excited by the prospect of landing a job with ESPN, a national all-sports network.

“They told me it went well, and that they were impressed with my studio appearance. I was happy and delighted,” Dorsett said. “I thought I would be even more nervous than I was.”

Although he was traded, Dorsett says Dallas remains his adopted home and favorite city.

He said people will remember him not as a Bronco but as a Cowboy.

“There is more to life for Tony Dorsett than just professional football,” he told The Dallas Morning News.

“I want people to know that I was a person that was driven to be successful, a guy that cared about people and a person grossly misunderstood,” he said. “When you think about great players, maybe Tony Dorsett would be considered because I gave people their money’s worth.”

Dorsett said he wants to start a family. His first marriage ended in divorce.

“I really want to settle down and have children before I get too old,” he said. “I want a family where there is a lot of love.”