On Wednesday, former Tennessee Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro simultaneously announced the official launch of the esports organization he founded, “Gamers First” (G1), and his retirement from the NFL.
In the statement, Vaccaro, who had not signed with a team this season but said he had received offers to play, revealed he wants to turn his attention from the NFL to his new venture.
Shortly after the announcement, Titans safety Kevin Byard, who played alongside Vaccaro for three seasons, shared his reaction on Twitter.
“To my dawg, I’m blessed to have been apart of your journey,” Byard tweeted. “Congrats on a great 8 year career. Only a few know the discipline it takes to make it this far! Love you bro and keep killing it off the field.”
My dawg, best player and leader I’ve ever had the opportunity to be on the field with. Your success this year comes as no surprise, we were in the trenches together and climbed out❗️ https://t.co/64TRoQcuqp
— G1 Savage (@kennyvaccaro) December 1, 2021
Now, a look at how other NFL players and Twitter as a whole reacted to the news that the 30-year-old was hanging up his cleats for good.