He wasn’t just a defensive tackle. He was a wrecking ball with a business plan. From Detroit to Miami to L.A. to Tampa, Ndamukong Suh makes offensive linemen still have flashbacks. Quarterbacks still ice their ribs. And front offices? They always knew Suh came with production, IQ, and a financial portfolio sharper than his swim move. So when he finally decided to call it a career, he didn’t drop a highlight reel or schedule a press conference. He dropped a letter. Not a ‘thanks to the fans’ template, but a soul-punch on X that started with July 12, 2024 – the day he lost his father.
“July 12, 2024, was the hardest day of my life. It’s the day I said goodbye to my father,” Suh wrote. “He wasn’t just a dad. He was my idol, my coach, and my anchor.” Every snap Suh took in the NFL, he says, carried his dad’s fingerprint. His father’s final words? “It’s time to let football go. You’ve done everything you set out to do. Now it’s time for the next chapter.” One year later, Suh honored that message and walked away. Thirteen seasons. Five All-Pro selections. A Super Bowl ring with Tom Brady’s Bucs. He left it all on the field – and now he’s stepping into a new arena.
July 12, 2024 was the hardest day of my life.
It’s the day I said goodbye to my father, the man who raised me, shaped me, challenged me, and believed in me before I believed in myself.
He wasn’t just a dad. He was my idol, my coach, and my anchor.
He taught me what it meant to… pic.twitter.com/WkefQaDrsQ
— Ndamukong Suh (@NdamukongSuh) July 12, 2025
His next play? Impact. Legacy. Financial education. Suh launched the No Free Lunch podcast, a platform focused on wealth-building, real strategy, and teaching athletes how to move smarter, not just harder. “Freedom doesn’t come from fame,” he wrote. “It comes from knowledge and how you move.” The man who once bullied offensive lines is now coming for ignorance – and he’s doing it with a mic. Rest in power, Big Suh Sr. Your mission clearly lives on.
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