BR5: Jerry Rice and Athletes Who Held on Too Long, Part 1

Pro athletes know how to win, but some just don’t know when to call it quits.  Here’s our list of athletes who held on too long.

Most discussion about Michael Jordan is about him dominating the NBA and winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls.  What is usually left out is his second return from retirement with the Washington Wizards.  At that point, Air Jordan wasn’t high-flying anymore. 

Lesson learned: Stop after one retirement.

Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith have a lot in common.  They’re two of the all-time greats to ever play football, hold most of the all-time records in their respective positions, have Super Bowl rings...and both didn’t know when to quit. 

After the 49ers decided to move forward, Rice took his former talents to Oakland then Seattle then Denver.  Smith, on the other hand, only left to Arizona when the carries stopped coming.

Rickey Henderson was another great in his sport.  After playing for 25 years and for 10 different teams, Rickey wasn’t ready to put away his glove.  After being without a team after the 2003 season, Henderson waited until 2007 to officially retire just in case an offer came in. 

Whether it was for the love of the game or love of himself, Henderson will always be a great.

Patrick Ewing's basketball career outlasted his knees.  The Knicks star should have realized when his knees gave out on him in the 1996-97 season that he should take it easy.  Ewing, however, went five more seasons, each harder to watch him get up and down the floor.

George Foreman is now known more for grilling than boxing. He held on to his career in boxing longer than almost anyone in history. He was rewarded by winning the heavyweight title at the age of 45, the oldest boxer to ever achieve the feat. 

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