Super Bowl champion, Buccaneers great Lavonte David retires after 14 seasons: 'God is amazing'

David, 36, spent 14 seasons with the Buccaneers and was the team's longest-tenured player, including being a key member of their Super Bowl-winning team. He spent 12 seasons as a captain.

David said he played football for the "fun of it, for the love of it." He called his career a journey.

"Every time I stepped on the field I wanted to prove myself right, and all my doubters wrong."

David got emotional talking about his late parents and the sacrifices they made for him.

"Growing up where I grew up, it ain't easy. It ain't easy but they found a way for me and you don't understand that until you get older and until you have kids of your own, the sacrifices they made for you. The things they did for you," a tearful David said.

"It's just, thinking about my dad, the sacrifices he made. He was never the breadwinner in our family, but for some reason he and my mom made it work and their relationship lasted for so long. And when you saw how they was compatible with each other and how they made our lives easier. We had one car, my mom took the car to work and my dad used to take me to practice on his handlebars on a bike. We used to walk sometimes, and as a kid you'd be like, 'Dang man, that walk was a far walk.' You realize it's a sacrifice that you gotta make to help your sons, kids dreams come true. And they did it."

When David's mom passed away in 2016, he said he didn't care about football anymore because he wanted to help her make her dreams come true after she made his dreams come true.

David tied Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks' franchise tackle record of 1,714 in his final regular-season game. He has played the third-most games in Buccaneers history behind Brooks (224) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Rondé Barber (241).