Jamal Lewis Says He's Retiring After 2009 Season Ends

Jamal Lewis told reporters following the Browns' loss to the Bears Sunday afternoon that he is planning to retire after the 2009 season. Yes, I know what you're thinking: "Woah. Jamal Lewis is still playing football?"

But he is.

And apparently, this will be his final season -- after telling reporters of his intentions, he also added "I mean what I say" which, presumably, is to ward off the possibility of people mistaking him for Brett Favre.

Lewis is most famous for two things: rushing for 2,000 yards in one season and going to prison. Drafted out of Tennessee with the fifth overall pick in 2000, Lewis was a catalyst in the Ravens' Super Bowl run that year, rushing for 1,364 yards with a 4.4 yards per carry average. Then, two years later, Lewis went b-a-n-a-n-a-s, posting 2,066 yards (the second-highest single season total in NFL history, mind you) and averaging an obscene 129.1 yards per game.

But then Lewis went to prison in 2005 for four months over a cell phone/drug issue and was never the same. Well, that's not entirely fair -- when Lewis left Baltimore for Cleveland, he posted over 1,300 yards in his first season and seemed to be in the midst of some sort of resurgence. It didn't last long though, and in 2008, Lewis was held to 3.6 yards per carry over the course of the season as the Browns struggled.

This year has been even worse. Lewis is on pace for less than 1,000 yards rushing and has been more or less nonexistent. So, really, his retirement should come as no surprise and, most importantly, a reminder of how quickly high-profile running backs can decline.