Veteran CB Fernando Bryant announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, after a 10-year career that culminated with a victory in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers announced.

Bryant, 32, signed with the Steelers on Nov. 11, 2008, and saw action in two regular season games after being released by the New England Patriots at the end of training camp (August 30).

Bryant was originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft, after earning first-team All-SEC honors as a senior at Alabama. He played five seasons with the Jaguars before signing with the Detroit Lions as an unrestricted free agent in 2004 (March 5). He signed with New England on March 20, 2008 after four seasons in Detroit.

Bryant started in 109 of the 112 games he played during his NFL career. He registered 512 tackles (438 solo), 89 defensed passes, seven interceptions, three forced fumbles and nine recovered fumbles. He was named to all of the major NFL all-rookie teams in 1999 when he posted a career-high 78 tackles (64 solo), two interceptions, 13 defensed passes and one forced fumble and one recovered fumble.

With Bryant out of the picture, that paves the way for third-round pick Keenan Lewis to push for a reserve role at cornerback. Veteran CB Keiwan Ratliff, who many thought would contend for a nickel role, saw time at safety during recent OTA practice sessions.

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