Getty Joe Looney is calling it a career.
Former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Joe Looney is calling it a career just days after signing with the New York Giants. Looney signed with the Giants on July 31st then revealed his retirement on August 4th.
The move briefly reunited Looney with former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett who is the Giants offensive coordinator. Looney’s agent Andy Ross cited wear and tear as the reason for the lineman’s abrupt decision.
“Joe always felt when his body didn’t respond the way he needed it to, it would be time to step away,” Ross told NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. “He has too much respect for the Giants and Coach Garrett to not do that.”
Looney played five seasons for the Cowboys from 2016 to 2020, starting in 12 games last season and 16 contests in 2018. This year would have marked Looney’s 10th NFL season.
Looney’s Retirement Comes a Day After a Major Brawl Took Place During Giants Practice
Looney’s abrupt retirement came just one day after the Giants made headlines for a massive brawl during a training camp practice. SNY.TV’s Ralph Vacchiano described the scene in a lengthy tweet thread noting, “everybody — and I mean everybody — jumped in.”
“A full-team brawl at Giants camp with QB Daniel Jones somehow at the bottom of the pile,” Vacchiano explained. “Joe Judge is absolutely livid. He’s got the players lined up now to run. …Now Joe Judge gathered his players around him and sent his coaches away. He wants them all to himself. And now practice is mercifully over. Wow. I’ve never seen Joe Judge that angry. Actually I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone that angry.”
Dak Prescott spoke highly of Looney during their time together in Dallas. Looney played multiple positions on the offensive line including center during his tenure with the Cowboys.
“I trust Joe, I trust our coaches and I trust that they’re going to have whoever it is that needs to be in there on the offensive line, whether it’s filling in for a guy or not, that we’ll all be ready,” Prescott said last August, per WFAA.com. “We’ve got a great, great, great group of coaches here that — I know I said I’m excited for them, but just talking around the locker room, everybody loves their position coaches and the way that they communicate, the way they have us all on the same page, communicating.”
Jason Garrett Wants to be Called ‘Coach’
It has been a week full of headlines for the Cowboys’ NFC East rival. Garrett went viral after calling out reporters for referring to him by his first name instead of “coach.”
“Jason Garrett just told us to call him coach as he walked off the podium,” New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard tweeted. “He said good to see you guys. We said good to see you in person, Jason. ‘We say, ‘Good to see you, Coach.’ That’s how we do it.’ Oh yeah?”
The Cowboys take on the Giants in Week 5 on October 10th with a rematch scheduled for December 19th. Dallas’ first NFC East matchup of the season comes against the Eagles in a Week 3 Monday Night Football contest.
Jason Garrett would like to be called “Coach.”
Noted.
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Ex-Cowboys Starter Surprisingly Retires Days After Joining Rival: Report