TAMPA — Lavonte David, who spent the past 14 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was a member of the team’s 2000 Super Bowl championship team, has retired.
“My 14-year career here was a journey. It was a long road to get here,” David said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
“Every time I step on the field, I want to prove myself right, and all my doubters wrong,” said David, who thanked his teammates, coaches and family for their support.
“To get all the respect that I have from everybody and from all my peers and the lives I touched throughout my career, it’s something you can always dream of,” he added before tearing up while talking about his parents.
The team saluted David and his career in a post on X:
“Lavonte’s mark on our franchise could never be overstated,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said in a statement via the team’s website. “For the entirety of his 14-year career, Lavonte set the standard for professionalism, leadership, and consistency. He embodies everything that it means to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer and he is undoubtedly one of the best players to ever put on this uniform. His contributions to our franchise, to his teammates and to this community will leave an impact far beyond his playing years.”
David played 215 games for the Bucs — starting them all. He recorded nearly 1,200 solo tackles and was a first-team All-Pro in 2013. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2015.
He had 42.5 sacks, 33 forced fumbles and intercepted 14 passes. He had 12 seasons of more than 100 tackles.
The 36-year-old was drafted by the Bucs in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft after he played two years of college football at Nebraska.
David had six tackles and two pass breakups in Tampa’s 31-9 triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
“Before I came to the Buccaneers, I always had immense respect for Lavonte as a special football player,” said Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles. “Having had the fortune to coach him for the last seven seasons, I have also experienced the special person and leader he is. He has been the heart and soul of our defense and a Super Bowl champion on the way to being an eventual Hall of Famer.”
David never missed more than five games in a season and only twice missed more than two.
He was voted a team captain in just his third season and repeated that honor, as chosen by his teammates, for a remarkable 12 straight campaigns, according to the team’s website.