Three-time Pro Bowl safety Antoine Bethea, who won Super Bowl XLI as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday after 14 seasons. 

Bethea, who didn't play in 2020 after spending the 2019 campaign with the New York Giants, posted a statement on Twitter about his decision:

The 36-year-old Georgia native was a sixth-round pick of the Colts in the 2006 NFL draft. Although he was taken in the penultimate round, he earned a spot in the lineup immediately by beating out incumbent Mike Doss for the starting job alongside Bob Sanders.

Bethea recorded 90 total tackles, five passes defended and an interception as a rookie. He added 18 tackles and two picks during the team's four-game playoff run to the Super Bowl title.

"It has been a long career, but I can remember like yesterday winning that Super Bowl," he said after signing with the Giants in 2019. "The games that I have played in, it has been a long time since I have been there. I want to get back. That is one of the reasons you play this game, to lift that Lombardi trophy."

Bethea stayed with the Colts through the 2013 season. He then had shorter stops with the San Francisco 49ers (2014-16), Arizona Cardinals (2017-18) and Giants.

The Howard University product reached the 100-tackle mark eight times in his career, including his final season with New York, and his 1,333 tackles were the highest among active players before his retirement Thursday.

His Pro Bowl appearances came in 2007 and 2009 with the Colts and 2014 with the Niners.