OWINGS MILLS, Md. โ Dennis Pitta hasnโt lost his dry sense of humor less than two weeks after suffering his third devastating right hip injury to end his seven-year run with the Ravens.
Using crutches to stand before the media after Baltimore concluded its three-day minicamp, the 31-year-old immediately sparked laughter in what could have been a sobering โfarewellโ press conference.
โThey asked me to do podium and I said, โI donโt even work here. Why do I have to come up?'โ said Pitta, referencing the Ravens releasing him on an injury waiver last week. โBut here I am.โ
It was a surreal scene after he had quipped to media only three weeks ago how nice it was to no longer be fielding so many questions about his hip.
Pitta made no retirement announcement on Thursday, but heโs โnot delusionalโ after dislocating and fracturing his hip for the third time in the last four years. The 2010 fourth-round pick spoke about his career in the past tense, but he wants to focus on making a full recovery before facing the finality of his playing days being all but officially over.
For Pitta, being on his feet and back at the Ravensโ training facility was gratifying enough after his horrific injury on June 2 and the surgery that followed. Being driven around by Steve Bisciotti in the ownerโs golf cart during Wednesdayโs practice, he was greeted by head coach John Harbaugh and many teammates happy to see him.
Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for the man who caught three touchdowns in the 2012 postseason run that culminated with a win in Super Bowl XLVII.
โMore of a nightmare, I would say, other than dรฉjร vu,โ said Pitta, who had told his wife, Mataya, that he was feeling better than ever just days before re-injuring his hip. โIt is what it is. Itโs something Iโve gone through before. Itโs weird being out here and not being part of things. Just over a week ago, I was out here practicing and feeling really good, so things change in an instant. But Iโm positive and staying in a good mind frame.โ
Weโll always wonder where Pitta could have ranked on the franchiseโs all-time receiving list as he appeared to be emerging as one of the top tight ends in the league when he sustained his first hip injury on July 27, 2013. He missed nearly three full seasons due to the first two injuries and played in a total of just 19 games after signing a five-year, $32 million contract in 2014 that included $16 million guaranteed.
His story is a reminder of how fragile an NFL career can be.
โItโs heartbreaking. I talked to him. He understands it. I understand it,โ said veteran linebacker Terrell Suggs, who years ago nicknamed Pitta โAmerican Expressโ for his reliability in being everywhere you want him to be. โItโs part of the game. Some of these guys look and say, โDang, Sizz, 15 years?โ You know some people donโt have that long. Thatโs definitely something to be fortunate about. But I talked to him, and heโs in good spirits about it. Itโs just one of those things. We play a very brutal sport.โ
Pitta said his improbable return to the field in 2016 means even more to him now as he was the only Ravens tight end to appear in all 16 games and led all NFL tight ends with a career-high 86 receptions. He isnโt second-guessing his decision to come back last year despite previously contemplating retirement because of the slow rehab process that came with the 2014 injury.
Expressing gratitude for the support from both his family and the organization over these last few challenging years, Pitta sounded like a man at peace with his fate.
Even if he wasnโt quite ready to to use the โretirementโ word.
โI think itโll be a little bit more cut and dried this time,โ Pitta said. โI certainly donโt regret coming back and playing last season. I felt great all year. I think I would have regretted it more being at home and feeling as good as I did and not playing. It was a tremendous year for me personally, just being able to overcome what I did and prove a lot to myself, and I donโt regret it one bit.
โIโm happy I played and fortunate that I was able to get another year in.โ
Pitta "not delusional" about future after latest devastating hip injury
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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