Arizona Cardinals fans are set for a long-awaited moment Sunday at State Farm Stadium, and it has nothing to do with the matchup against the Denver Broncos.
At halftime, the Cardinals will celebrate Larry Fitzgerald, the legendary wide receiver who is being honored for his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His No. 11 will be retired, and he will be added to the Ring of Honor. Fitzgerald will also receive his Ring of Excellence from the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame recognition comes with the familiar markers of Canton, Ohio, where inductees receive a bronze bust, a gold jacket and a ring.
For Cardinals fans, this is the goodbye that never quite happened. Fitzgerald never formally announced his retirement after the 2020 season, and he has stuck to saying he moved on from football rather than saying he retired.
“ I told you a long time ago - I'm a Fitzgerald, so there's some Irish in there a long, long way back," he said in his press conference on Thursday. "The Irish goodbye is kind of my thing.
If you ever see me at an event, say hello quick because I'm going to find that, 'hey, where's that bathroom at?' I'm going to sneak out to the car."
He then explained why this weekend matters to him.
"I left in 2020 and as you guys all remember, it was a very different time. Playing in empty stadiums and not really having the same media availability and everything became just Zoom.
I felt like my goodbye was on Zoom and it'd be great to be able to come out there on that field. I've been to a couple of games since at home, probably more on the road.
So to be able to go in that stadium and feel that energy again; I'm just hoping when I go out there, we're up at half taking care of business and that the fans will be in a lot better mood.”
His moment on the field will be brief. The announcement will be made, and he will speak for a minute or two.
Still, after a 17-year run with the Cardinals, it gives fans the chance to do what they never got to do properly before: send Fitzgerald off with the appreciation and love he earned in Arizona.
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