Sanders Retires From Football

Washington Redskin cornerback Deion Sanders, whose swaggering style established new standards for NFL superstars, is finished with football.

The Redskins learned Friday of his decision to retire.

“In my discussions with [agent] Eugene Parker, it was evident from his comments that Deion Sanders did not want to play football,” Coach Marty Schottenheimer said in a news release. “With that understanding, both parties have reached a mutually beneficial agreement.”

Sanders, 33, reportedly will get to keep most of the $8-million signing bonus he received as part of the seven-year, $56-million deal he signed with the Redskins last summer. He also is free to pursue his baseball career, which he put on hold Thursday when he left the Syracuse SkyChiefs, the triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, to contemplate his future.

“I’ve really got to get my head together and figure out what I want to do and what I want to accomplish,” Sanders told reporters after clearing out his baseball locker.

A veteran of seven Pro Bowls, he played 12 seasons for four teams--Atlanta, Dallas, San Francisco and Washington--and collected 48 interceptions, eight of which he returned for touchdowns. He also scored on six punt returns and ran back three kickoffs.

“The guy never even came in the huddle,” recalled former 49er linebacker Gary Plummer, who won a Super Bowl with Sanders in 1994. “It wasn’t him trying to separate himself. It was just that he played man to man and the rest of us played 10 on 10. He basically said I’m going to take away this side of the field; don’t even worry about it.”

Sanders likely will glide into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

“They’ve been talking about me since I came out of high school, and 12 years later, I’m still going,” Sanders said last season. “And they’ve already cleared off a space in the Hall of Fame--let’s be honest.”