Former Giants cornerback Terrell Thomas has retired from football, the club announced Thursday morning.
The 30-year-old Thomas notched 298 tackles and intercepted 12 passes in 60 regular season games with the Giants from 2008 through 2013. However, he missed the 2011 and 2012 seasons after twice tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament. He also tore the same ligament as a collegiate player at USC.
Nevertheless, Thomas was able to come back in 2013, and he played all 16 games for New York, recording 67 tackles, defending seven passes and recording one interception.
Thomas spent part of the 2014 preseason with Seattle before being released.
In a story published Thursday by Giants.com, Thomas lamented the ACL tears he suffered in back-to-back years.
“That is hopefully not going to haunt me til my days end, but that is just life. That is probably the hardest part that I had to deal with, that I was on the verge of being a very great player,” Thomas told the club’s website.
While the injuries will mark Thomas’ NFL legacy, so should his determination to return in 2013. Repeatedly dealt doses of bad luck, Thomas fought on, and he found a way to be a key part of New York’s defense in what appears to have been his final regular-season campaign.