DENVER, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- One day after his emotional farewell, Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, officially ending his season and unofficially ending his career.
By placing Davis on injured reserve, the Broncos will save $1.2 million against the salary cap this season. Davis is not expected to send in his official retirement paperwork until after the season.
Monday, he got an emotional push into premature retirement from 69,343 fans, who gave him a standing ovation at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Davis was in full uniform as he accompanied his teammates onto the field for the final time. Before Monday's exhibition game between the Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, he gave fans a last "Mile High Salute."
"Denver has been very good to me. The fans are great and I want to say thank you to them," Davis said. "I have had fan support from other places in the country and I want to say thank you to them as well."
Davis has been limited 17 games over the last three seasons due to an assortment of injuries.
"It is tough to realize I am not going to play anymore," he said Monday. "My mind is telling me one thing, but my knees are telling me something else."
Davis' latest injury is a degenerative condition in his left knee that showed no immediate signs of improving. In May, he had surgery on the knee for the second time in six months. But an MRI performed last week revealed an arthritic condition.
"I never thought (about retiring), even when I got back some of the results on my knee. I felt I could come back and work hard to overcome the injury. I always believed that I could play," said Davis, one of the most dominant running backs of the 1990s.
Just 29, Davis was limited to eight games last season but still led the Broncos with 701 rushing yards on 167 carries. He was the league's MVP in 1998, rushing for 2,008 yards, but that was his last full season. He tore his right ACL in the fourth game of the 1999 schedule.
Davis was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXII, helping the Broncos defeat the Green Bay Packers, 31-24.
In his career, Davis rushed for 7,607 yards on 1,655 carries in 78 games. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored 60 touchdowns.
A sixth-round draft choice out of Georgia in 1995, Davis holds or shares 56 team records, including 21 in the postseason.
