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Longtime Falcons safety Ricardo Allen retires

Ricardo Allen deserved to go out with a Super Bowl win. He didn’t get one, but he got to take part in his second career Super Bowl, and now at age 30 he’s calling it a career.

Allen announced his retirement on Sunday after eight years in the NFL, and predictably his farewell message was a classy one.

Allen was a fifth round pick for the Falcons under Mike Smith in 2014, entering the NFL as a cornerback out of Purdue. While he competed for a role in training camp, he was a surprise cut and wound up on the practice squad, though he made it to the active roster late in the year without getting onto the field his rookie season.