HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Pro bowl receiver Al Toon, still suffering the effects of his ninth concussion, Friday announced his retirement from the New York Jets.
'It's every football player's dream to end their career on their terms,' Toon said during a news conference at the club's training facility. 'Unfortunately for me that didn't happen, but I do not have any complaints about what transpired in my career. I have a lot of good memories.'
Toon, 29, is suffering from post-concussion syndrome. He has experienced nausea, dizziness and flu-like symptoms since suffering a concussion in a Nov. 8 game at Denver. It was Toon's fifth concussion in the last five years, and he says it was the ninth of his eight-year career.
The tackle by linebacker Michael Brooks did not look like a crunching hit, but Toon said it knocked him unconcious. He retired on the advice of doctors.
'I remember it felt like a cannonball hit me in the head,' he said. 'Then I remember waking up.
'I've been told I'm not completely recovered. No one knows how long it will take, hopefully it won't take too long.'
Toon, a first-round draft choice of the Jets out of Wisconsin in 1985, had 31 receptions for 311 yards this season. He also extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one catch to 101 on the play that ended his career.
Toon had more catches (355) in his first five years than any other player in NFL history and reached the 400-catch plateau in his 81st game, the third quickest in league history behind Kellen Winslow (72 games) and Lionel Taylor (72 games).
At 6-foot-4, Toon made a big and sure target for Jets quarterbacks over the years. He had 517 career receptions for 6,605 yards and 31 touchdowns, ranking second in catches behind Hall of Famer Don Maynard on the Jets' all-time list. Toon was voted to the Pro Bowl three times, with his finest seasons coming in 1986 and 1988. He had 85 receptions for 1,176 yards and eight touchdowns in 1986 and 93 catches for 1,067 yards and five touchdowns in 1988.
Toon finished eighth in the NFL with 74 catches last season, gaining 963 yards.
