According to foxnews.com, NFL wide receiver Cole Beasley is ending his career after 11 seasons and only two games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Beasley was signed to Tampa Bay’s practice squad on September 20th, and appeared in a game against the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs before retiring on Wednesday. Beasley’s agent told ESPN that, “He is ready to be with his family after playing 11 seasons, and it’s time to be a full-time dad and husband, His wife and kids are still back home in Texas. They came out for the first game, went through the evacuation last week which the Tampa Bay organization hasn’t received near the credit they deserve for the way they handled [Hurricane Ian] — nothing but first class by the Glazer family, [general manager] Jason [Licht] and [coach] Todd [Bowles]. He doesn’t want to be separated from them anymore. He loves his wife and kids and wants to be with them.”
Beasley caught four passes out of five targets from Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady for 17 yards. Beasley previously played for the Buffalo Bills and was released in March of this year. In 2021, Beasley had 82 catches for 693 yards total, in a year where he caught attention for his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine. Beasley remained unvaccinated against COVID-19 and was fined $100,000 for violating the protocols for COVID-19 during the 2021 season. Over his 11 season career he ultimately had 554 catches for 5,726 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also spent the first seven years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of SMU.
Beasley’s agent is quoted in saying that, “For a young man that came out of SMU that not one all-star game invited to play in, who prepared for his pro day working out by himself on campus and who 31 other teams in the NFL passed on as an undrafted free agent with only the Dallas Cowboys offering him a contract — he has had an incredible career, We could not be prouder of him in every facet and appreciate each organization that he played for and allowed him to live the American dream. Cole always gave it his all.”
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