Steelers' veteran cornerback retires

PITTSBURGH, June 23 (UPI) -- Veteran Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Fernando Bryant Tuesday announced his retirement from the National Football League.

The 32-year-old, 10-year-veteran signed with the Steelers in November after being let go by New England on Aug. 30. He appeared in two regular-season games with Pittsburgh but was inactive for the team's three post-season games, including the Steelers' win over Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII.

Bryant was originally selected by Jacksonville with the 26th overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft, after earning first-team All-SEC honors as a senior at Alabama. He played five years with the Jaguars before signing with Detroit as an unrestricted free agent in 2004. He signed with the Patriots in March 2008 after four seasons with the Lions.

Bryant started 109 of the 112 games he played during his NFL career. He wound up with 512 tackles, 89 passes defended, seven interceptions, three forced fumbles and nine recovered fumbles.