Lavonte David may have hung up his cleats, but he’s not closing the door on football altogether.
The longtime Buccaneers linebacker, who retired this offseason after 14 seasons in Tampa Bay, said he could see coaching in his future. For now, though, he’s not rushing into anything.
David’s playing résumé speaks for itself: 215 games, 1,714 tackles, and a career that has him on track for the Hall of Fame once he becomes eligible. When he announced his retirement, he made it clear that the game has always been about more than the spotlight.
"Fourteen years of playing football, to come to this moment, I never thought I'd be in this situation," David said at his retirement news conference. "I never thought I'd be here.
Growing up, playing the game of football at 6 years old, I always did it for the fun of it, did it for the love of it. Never cared about what came with it just because it was built in me a different way. ...
My 14-year career has come to an end. I feel it's time to move on and find a different path. ...
At the end of the day, I'll always be a Buccaneer. As always, it's Bucs for life."
He already has a connection to the next generation in Tampa Bay, including Bucs linebacker David Bain. David told Kevin Clark of ESPN on This is Football that he knew Bain before retirement and reached out after Bain was drafted.
"I knew Bain already. I reached out to him after he got drafted.
He told me, man, like, 'Man, I wish you just waited one more year.' And, I was like in my mind like, 'Maybe I should have, but, you know, the deal is done already.
I'm out, my guy.' But, I told him I'm 'definitely going to be there to be supporting him' and stuff like that."
That support could eventually extend beyond the sideline. When asked about coaching, David didn’t shut the idea down.
"I'd consider it," he said.
Still, he’s not ready to make that leap right away. David said coaching would demand his full attention, and he’s not looking to half-step into anything.
"If I get into it, I know I'm going be locked in," David said. "So, I may. It's something that I may do down the line, but right now I'm going to enjoy this retirement that I have."
For Tampa Bay, the idea of David eventually helping mold the team’s young defenders is an appealing one. He’s one of the best players ever to wear a Buccaneers uniform, and he’s already shown he wants to stay connected to the franchise.
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