Barry Sanders Retired Because The Lions Were Helpless
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When Barry Sanders retired after a 10-year NFL career, he still had plenty of gas in the tank. The problem was he wanted to win a Super Bowl and the Detroit Lions were incapable of this. Frustrated, Sanders demanded to be traded or released. The Lions refused, so he retired, choosing to live in infamy then play another losing snap.
Sanders finished his career with 15,269 rushing yards, putting him third on the all-time rushing list. If he had been able to play a few more seasons, he likely would have unthroned Emmit Smith and maybe even won a Lombardi Trophy.
