Former Giants LB Antonio Pierce retires and joins ESPN

[Dpantherman]

Former New York Giants and Washington Redskins linebacker Antonio Pierce is joining ESPN as an NFL analyst after announcing his retirement from football.

Pierce, who was released by the Giants in February, will appear on "NFL Live" Thursday (ESPN, 4 p.m. ET) to discuss his retirement from the NFL and his new role with the network.

Pierce, who officially will start in his new role with ESPN this month, will appear on "NFL Live," "SportsCenter," "ESPNNews" and 1050 ESPNNewYork. He also will provide weekly analysis for ESPNNewYork.com.

"I am definitely going to miss the fans, the locker room talks, and the excitement of putting on a NFL uniform every Sunday, but I am ready to put on a new uniform, and I am extremely excited about contributing my knowledge and experience in this new endeavor to the championship team at ESPN. I thank my family, friends, teammates, and fans for their support throughout my career and as I move in this new and exciting direction," Pierce said in a statement.

Pierce led the Giants in tackles three times, was a three-year captain, a Pro Bowl pick in 2006 and one of the inspirational leaders of a squad that did not have a losing season in his five years with the franchise.

Pierce finished his final season with the Giants with 51 tackles (31 solo), three tackles for losses, a sack, two passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

His five-year totals with the Giants: 537 tackles (322 solo), seven sacks, six forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and four interceptions. Pierce also had 44 postseason tackles (28 solo).

An undrafted free agent, Pierce played his first four seasons with the Redskins.

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/news/story?id=5363544&campaign=rss&source=twitter&ex_cid=Twitter_espn_5363544

[Jackofalltrades]

I like hearing from players like this, but he just doesn't seem like the type who would do a good job. Unfortunately it has more to do with the fact that he came out of NY than anything else.

I hope he does well, but I wonder be surprised if he sounds like an idiot for quite some time.