San Francisco 49ers

Justin Smith reflects on 14-year career

Published May. 19, 2015 12:32 p.m. ET

foxsports

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith looked back at some of his greatest memories on a conference call with reporters after he announced his retirement from football on Monday afternoon.

Smith was his normal self, very honest, and did not show much emotion.

"You come in, you go out, everything moves on," Smith said on Monday. "So this is no different... It was a good ride. You guys ain't going to get me in a room and make me cry and all that stuff. It was a pretty cut and dry decision the whole time and just went from there."

Smith had a lot of success with the Niners these last few years with some deep playoff runs. Those are the types of moments Smith will remember for the rest of his life.

"For four years there, the feeling walking into camp thinking you can win a Super Bowl was pretty cool."

The camaraderie that comes with being on a team is something Smith will miss.

"What sticks out in my mind are the plane rides back after the big wins," he said. "And I mean, we just had fun. It didn’t feel, I played a lot of football here and other places where it felt like a job because you’re losing or this and that, or something wasn’t right. Everything was just rolling together and we were just having fun."

Smith doesn't know what the future hold for him, but imagines he'll be doing something football related.

"You know, I figure, I’ll just figure out, stick with what I know and stay around the game as much as I can."

(h/t San Francisco 49ers)