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Jason Hanson officially said goodbye to the NFL on Tuesday with a press conference. Various members of the Detroit Lions organization spoke at the presser, and Hanson made comments as well. You can watch his portion of the press conference here, and a recap (in tweet form) is below.
First things first, a picture of the main people in attendance.
And Hanson with Lions management twitter.com/davebirkett/st…
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
And now, some news about how the Lions plan to honor Hanson.
#Lions president Tom Lewand said Jason Hanson will be 14th member of ring of honor this fall
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
He's the first player to join the group not in the Hall of Fame.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) April 9, 2013
Hanson will be honored at a game TBA this fall.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
Moving on to the comments portion of the presser, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz spoke about Hanson's career.
Lions coach Jim Schwartz said it was easy to take Jason Hanson for granted. Said he hopes every player plays the game the way Hanson did.
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) April 9, 2013
Lions general manager Martin Mayhew also spoke about Hanson's career.
#Lions GM Martin Mayhew on Hanson: "If we had 53 guys like him we’d have several Lombardi Trophies. The guy is the model of professionalism"
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
Bill Ford Jr. provided some nice remarks on Hanson as well.
Bill Ford Jr.: "No matter how disappointing the season you could always count on Jason Hanson."
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) April 9, 2013
Bill Ford on Hanson: "For a whole generation of Lions fans there's been one kicker ... Fortunately that kicker has been a wonderful person"
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
Bill Ford: "If the NFL is serious about taking kickers, then Jason's got to be the next guy in the Hall of Fame"
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
Bill Ford Jr. jokes about how Hanson sometimes felt like the leading tackler on special teams.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) April 9, 2013
Ford Jr. wasn't the only one with jokes. Hanson himself had some funny things to say when it was his turn to speak.
Hanson with his own light moment, told Tom Lewand he better be in the color portion of the #Lions ring of honor banner, not in the B&W part
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
Hanson in special comedic form: "In football, every K gets the glory and the blame, but as every K knows its always the holder's fault"
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
Hanson: "When I first came into the league I could use a hair dryer... I don't use a hair dryer anymore"
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
Hanson said Barry Sanders called him "Baby J" when he first entered the league. His nickname last year was "Pops".
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) April 9, 2013
To get serious for a second, Hanson again said that he decided to retire because of an injury.
Hanson said heel pain was biggest factor in deciding to retire.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) April 9, 2013
Hanson said all systems were go to come back for 22nd year"except one" his heel.
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) April 9, 2013
Hanson: "I didn't want to play hurt anymore. ... I wanted to play my best and I decided to retire because I wasn't sure I could do that"
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
It's the heel on his plant leg. He can still kick, but the pain lingers for days.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) April 9, 2013
Hanson said heel first started hurting last season and the pain just won't go away. It's nagged him all offseason.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) April 9, 2013
Hanson essentially said that the contract he was offered by the Lions didn't play a part in his decision to retire.
Hanson insists that he would have signed had he been 100 percent committed to returning.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) April 9, 2013
Hanson later chimed in on the topic of whether or not kickers belong in the Hall of Fame.
Hanson said people still don't understand how to evaluate kickers when it comes to the Hall of Fame.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) April 9, 2013
Speaking of kickers, he gave his take on David Akers, who is replacing him as the Lions' kicker.
Hanson on new #Lions K David Akers: "David is good. He had a bad year last year, but ...I'm not real worried about him"
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
Finally, time for some thank-yous.
Hanson swallows his emotion after talking about his wife, saying their marriage is stronger because of football
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
Had to swallow his emotion when talking about his 3 children, too. Very genuine all the way through
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 9, 2013
Hanson thanked the fans for their loyal support over the years even when the Lions were losing.
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) April 9, 2013
Jason Hanson: "Detroit has the best fans. Every city claims to have the best fans, but I have proof... Thank you for your loyal support."
— Detroit Lions (@DetroitLionsNFL) April 9, 2013
Thank you, Jason.