A sad end to a great career. Very different from Tiki Barber, who's ready to get out. What will Marin do with the rest of his life? Martin out for 2006, unsure he'll ever play again
Assocaited Press
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Curtis Martin's season ended Wednesday because of a lingering knee injury, and the New York Jets' star running back isn't sure if he'll ever play again.
"I'm officially not playing this year," Martin said. "Retirement -- that may be the inevitable result. I just haven't gotten there yet."
The Jets placed the 33-year-old Martin on the reserved physically-unable-to perform list with a bone-on-bone condition in his right knee, ending his season before it ever got started and throwing his career in doubt.
"I think this is as good as my knee gets, where it is right now," Martin said.
He's not sure when -- or if -- he'll get back on the field, but said he isn't even thinking about that at this point.
"I don't know if it's even possible," Martin said, keeping his composure throughout the nearly half-hour news conference. "It hasn't been possible up to this point, so I'm not looking forward to saying I'll definitely be back next year. It's a long stretch, I'll put it that way. And that's the most honest answer I can give you."
Martin spoke with coach Eric Mangini on Tuesday night, and the NFL's No. 4 career rusher said he didn't think he'd be ready to practice next week -- the team's deadline for a decision on his availability this season.
"I sat in Eric's office and I said, 'Eric, you know what? I just need one last conversation with the doctors.' I said, 'I even know. I know what they're going to say and I know what the outcome is, but for some reason I just wanted that last conversation."
Martin, who said he's in game shape and at his playing weight, never got that final conversation, instead talking with general manager Mike Tannenbaum and deciding Wednesday was the day to end months of speculation.
He had one last request: "I had somebody actually ask Mike, 'When we turn in the papers for me that say I can't play anymore, I want to push the button."'
Mangini said Martin will still attend meetings and work with the team.
"I think his heart was saying one thing and, unfortunately, the injury was saying something else," Mangini said.
Martin said he injured the knee in Week 2 of 2005 when he took a hit from Miami's Zach Thomas and aggravated it two games later against Baltimore. Martin said the knee became a "bone-on-bone" situation when the damaged cartilage was removed during surgery in December.
"This is something beyond my threshold of pain," said Martin, who often played through injuries throughout his first 11 seasons.
Martin said doctors gave him a very clear indication of the severity of this injury.
"If I don't play, they're saying I have a chance to have a normal life," Martin said. "But if I do play, I can jeopardize that."
Martin said he can run fine, but it's making the cuts and turns that helped make him a star that worries him.
"I'm an instinctive guy, I'm an instinctive runner, and once I get out there, just like any other time that I've been in pain, the pain is not going to matter," he said. "But what I do instinctively, I'm equipped with the information to know that's probably going to jeopardize my future as a human being."
Mangini did not rule out Martin playing again next season. When asked if he would be willing to go through a similar situation next year with uncertainty surrounding Martin's availability, Mangini said, "For Curtis Martin, yes."
Martin, who has rushed for 14,101 yards, last year played in 12 games before ending his year. He underwent surgery in December, but was slow to recover. He was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list before training camp so he could rehabilitate the knee.
The five-time Pro Bowl player was eligible to come off the PUP list Oct. 16, but the team announced he'd remain on it until after the game at Cleveland last Sunday.
On Monday, Mangini said he spoke with Martin, Tannenbaum and the Jets' medical staff last week. They chose to hold off until next week on whether Martin would rejoin the team and practice.
Mangini reiterated that on Tuesday, but said things changed after talking with Martin on Tuesday night.
"I usually deal with things the way they are now, and with the information that I know about my future, it doesn't look like it's too bright as far as me having a further career," Martin said. "And if that happens, great."
