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LaDainian Tomlinson to retire – Metro US

LaDainian Tomlinson to retire

It’s now five years and counting until LaDainian Tomlinson is a Hall of Famer.

The Chargers announced Sunday morning they would re-sign Tomlinson, who would then announce his retirement after 11 seasons in the NFL. The official press conference will be Monday at 2 p.m.

Tomlinson, 32, played in 170 regular season games in his career, all but 29 of which came with San Diego. He joined the New York Jets prior to the 2010 season after being cut by the Chargers.

He will finish his career with 13,684 yards in his career, fifth all-time, and 145 rushing touchdowns, second all-time. He also had 4,772 yards and 17 TDs receiving. He was MVP in 2006 when he broke Shaun Alexander’s single-season touchdown record with 31 (28 rushing, three receiving). He also won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.

Tomlinson was drafted No. 5 overall by the Chargers in 2001 after San Diego traded down from No. 1 overall with the Falcons (who drafted Michael Vick).

He joined the Jets in 2010 saying he wanted to win a Super Bowl before his career ended. He had been criticized in the past for performances in the playoffs with San Diego. The Jets made it to the AFC Championship game for the second straight year, but still came up short in that elusive quest for a title. He readily admitted prior to the 2011 season that it could be his last chance to win a title.

In his two seasons with the Jets he had 817 yards rushing and two touchdowns serving mostly as a backup.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.