David Bruton, the former captain for the Denver Broncos and a Super Bowl champion shocked the NFL community by announcing his retirement today. The surprising news came amid health concerns for the former player, as he looks toward his future as a physical therapist.

Why did Bruton retire?

David Bruton announced his retirement today, citing health concerns. He also added that “I just lost passion to continue playing," citing a poor workout he had with the Baltimore Ravens last December. Bruton went on to say that he felt like it was best for him to retire and pursue a different dream.

Apart from these two things, he also started thinking more about how his long-term health would be affected, along with his 13-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter.

He was cut last season by the Washington Redskins after playing in only four games and was placed on injured reserve (IR) due to a concussion. This was the sixth concussion that Bruton had suffered during his time playing football. He also fractured his fibula in December 2015, playing through almost the whole game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with the injury.

Burton's NFL career

Over his eight year NFL career, David Bruton was a strong safety as well as a special teams ace for the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins. He played for the Broncos for seven seasons, being voted a team captain in each of his last three years with the team.

He left Denver to sign a three-year, $9 million contract with the Redskins, who he only played one year for. In his NFL career, Bruton played in 108 total games, starting 12 of them. He had a total of 125 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 18 passes defended and 3 interceptions. He also played in two Super Bowls as a member of the Broncos, becoming a champion as part of the team's Super Bowl 50 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

What is he planning on doing next?

David Bruton said that he plans on pursuing a career as a physical therapist now that his NFL career is over. This a departure from college, as he earned his bachelor's in political science and sociology while at Notre Dame. In an exclusive sit down interview with Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, he said that he had been taking prerequisite science courses at Universty of Colorado-Denver since January.

This is so he can apply to physical therapy school. He will also continue his work with the foundation he launched, The David Bruton Foundation, and the Bruton's Books program that it sponsors to help improve youth literacy in Denver.