Martin wants to own a team
NEW YORK — Curtis Martin's playing career was marked by class, toughness and overall excellence, an impressive combination that the newly retired running back thinks will make him the perfect NFL owner.
The league's No. 4 rusher announced his long-anticipated retirement Thursday — a day before the New York Jets started training camp practices — and revealed he has his sights set on owning a football team.
"Football has the greatest fan base of any sport," Martin said at a small, 45-minute news conference at the team's Manhattan offices. "With fan base comes influence, and with influence comes responsibility. My whole career has been about maintaining that responsibility as a player.
"I believe in using football as a vehicle to reach out and do some good in society within the team and to individual lives. Ownership is a larger way of continuing what I have already started."
Martin, 34, was hoping to announce specific plans for his life after carrying the football, but hasn't finalized anything yet. He said an announcement is imminent, but declined to reveal which teams he had spoken to or if the Jets were one of them.
"It's something that I'm very excited about, and it looks good," he said.
The former Pitt star never sought the spotlight during his career, a rarity among today's professional star athletes. He was often labeled as underrated or underappreciated, but that perception never bothered Martin.
"Ever since you have seen me as a player, I've been looking at myself as an owner," he said. "Most people see me as a low-profile player, and I've always seen myself as a high-profile owner."
On the field, Martin made plenty happen during his 11 active seasons. He finished with 14,101 yards rushing, ranking behind only Emmitt Smith (18,355), Walter Payton (16,726) and Barry Sanders (15,269). His 3,518 carries are third on the NFL's career list, and his 90 rushing touchdowns rank him tied for 12th with Eric Dickerson. Martin, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, was also a versatile offensive weapon throughout his career, catching 484 passes for 3,329 yards and 10 touchdowns.
"At the end of the day, things turned out better than what I had even intended from the beginning," said Martin, whose retirement papers were submitted to the league office Thursday.
