Lavonte David Couldn’t “Find A Motivation Factor”
March 24th, 2026
Health was not much of a factor in Lavonte David’s retirement decision, the Bucs legend explained today on WDAE radio.
David said he just simply couldn’t find the motivation to continue playing.
Joe won’t be cynical and suggest the money wasn’t to David’s liking.
“It kind of dawned on me, probably about a week ago, that it was time for me to, you know, let the game go and move forward what what’s God got planned for me in my next life,” David told The Drive.
“… Every time I came into a season, you know, I always had a point to prove, and I just thought to myself there’s really nothing left to prove. I always try to find a motivation factor but I couldn’t find it. So I just came to the realization, ‘like yeah, maybe it’s just time for you to just let the game go.’ It’s been an incredible 14 years. It’s been an incredible journey to get me this far. And I don’t have no regrets about anything that I’ve been through and I have no regrets about my decision.”
David said his offseason knee surgery left him feeling great and he was confident in his playing ability because he responded adn recovered from the same surgery successfully in a prior season. “I think it was all just set it stone in my mind that maybe it’s just time to call it a career. I’m already happy with what I’ve done thus far,” David said.”
Was the Bucs’ losing run at the end of last season a factor? Absolutely not, said David. “If I was really pissed off about that, I’d be coming back for my 15th year to change that.”
Interestingly, David’s timeline of deciding “about a week ago” didn’t jibe with what he said earlier in the day when he noted that Mike Evans knew David’s retirement decision before Evans left the Bucs for San Francisco 15 days ago.
Joe is glad David losing his motivation is what drove him to retire. That’s the way to go. He hung it up on his terms.