Bengals G Clint Boling announced Monday that he’s retiring from the NFL after eight seasons.
“After eight years in the NFL, it is time for me to step away from the game due to medical reasons,” said Boling. “This is not an easy decision, but it is the right one for me, my wife Kelly and our two young girls. I want to thank the Brown family for giving me the opportunity to play my entire career with the Bengals. I also want to thank my teammates, coaches, fans and everyone who has supported me throughout my career.”
“Clint is a first-rate person, someone we all counted on and looked up to,” said Bengals President Mike Brown. “As a lineman, he never got the credit he deserved. That is often the case with good players who do their jobs well, but around the team, he was highly respected and appreciated beyond his playing abilities.”
“Clint epitomizes everything a scout hopes for when they draft a player,” Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin said. “He’s been a rock and stabilizing force for eight seasons. After earning his way into the starting lineup very early in his career, he provided leadership, consistency, versatility and — most importantly — a positive team spirit that earned him respect and admiration from everyone in the organization. Playing football is not a life in itself, but it can provide a wonderful start to life, and Clint will be highly successful in whatever path he chooses. We wish Clint and Kelly all the best in the future. They will be missed.”
Per Katherine Terrell, Boling says he’s retiring due to a blood clot discovered in his leg late last season that required hospitalization. If it weren’t for that, Boling says he has no doubt he’d be playing this season.
The Bengals’ offensive line has some real question marks now that Boling is retiring and first-round pick Jonah Williams could miss the entire season.
Cincinnati will likely turn to John Jerry at left guard.
Boling, 30, is a former fourth-round pick of the Bengals back in 2011. He was entering the final year of his five-year, $26 million contract that included $5 million guaranteed and was set to make a base salary of $4.85 million for the 2019 season.
For his career, Boling appeared in 111 games for the Bengals and started 106.
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