PITTSBURGH (Feb. 1, 2007) -- Former All-Pro center Jeff Hartings told his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates shortly after the season ended that he's retiring after 11 NFL seasons.
"He's done. He told all of us," tackle Max Starks told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The Steelers haven't announced Hartings' retirement.
Hartings was chosen for the Pro Bowl after the 2004 and 2005 seasons and made the AP All-Pro team in 2004. He was the Steelers' starting center from 2001-06, replacing longtime star Dermontti Dawson.
Hartings, from Penn State, was a first-round draft pick by Detroit in 1996, and played guard with the Lions before being moved to center by Pittsburgh -- a position he had never played. Because of ongoing knee problems, he considered retiring several times but returned to play for the Steelers' Super Bowl-winning team in the 2005 season.
