Former Tar Heel [autotag]Giovani Bernard[/autotag] has retired from the National Football League after 10 seasons.
Bernard took to social media Friday morning to announce his retirement. The retirement post caught many fans off guard.
Bernard spent eight years with the Cincinnati Bengals and his final two seasons with the Tampa Buccaneers. He played a significant role in Cincinnati, finishing with 3,697 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. In Tampa, with a crowed running back room, Bernard played more of a reserve role with 16 rushes for 86 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
10 years ago, I came into this league grateful. Grateful for what God has done for me to get to that moment and to celebrate all the obstacles that were overcome. And now fast forward 10 years, I leave humbled. Humbled by the experiences, relationships, and memories that have pic.twitter.com/DmHA8jqC6e
— Giovani Bernard (@G_Bernard25) April 28, 2023
Bernard had a breakout freshman campaign with UNC, rushing for 1253 yards and 362 rushing yards for 14 touchdowns. He followed with 1,228 rushing yards and 490 receiving yards for 17 touchdowns during his sophomore season. The highlight reels landed him in the 2013 NFL draft, and he was selected in the second round by the Bengals with the 37th pick.
After the announcement, social media discussed the sudden retirement while giving Bernard flowers for his stellar play. Let us look at how Twitter reacted to the retirement.