Jets' Curtis Martin decides to call it a career

NEW YORK — New York Jets running back Curtis Martin, fourth on the NFL's career rushing list, announced his retirement Thursday — 19 months after playing his final game.

The five-time Pro Bowl selection acknowledged in January that he had probably played his last game because of a bone-on-bone right knee injury suffered during the 2005 season.

"I don't see this as a sad time," Martin said at a 45-minute news conference at the team's Manhattan offices. "Someone was just asking me if there's any moment in particular that sticks out as the best moment of my career, and I told them, 'Right now."'

Martin finished with 14,101 yards rushing in 11 active seasons, ranking behind only Emmitt Smith (18,355), Walter Payton (16,726) and Barry Sanders (15,269). His 3,518 carries are third on the NFL's career list, and his 90 rushing touchdowns rank him tied for 12th with Eric Dickerson. Martin also caught 484 passes for 3,329 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Jets will honor Martin in a special ceremony before the beginning of the regular season. There is also growing sentiment that the team should retire Martin's No. 28 jersey.

"I think that would be great," Martin said with a big smile. "If that were to happen, I would like that."

Martin, always regarded as one of the classiest yet toughest players, has already moved on to the next phase of his life after football: He plans to become an NFL owner in the near future.

"I believe I've gotten a chance to understand the game from the ground up," said Martin, decked out in a sharp black suit and black and purple tie. "It's something that very few owners are able to do, simply because they're not privy to the intimacy of the locker rooms or the brotherhood of the players. I believe that I can bring something new, and something that I think could be better for the NFL overall."

Martin was hoping to announce specific plans Thursday but hasn't finalized anything yet. He declined to reveal which teams he had spoken to, or if the Jets were one of them.

"It's something that I'm very excited about, and it looks good," he said.

Martin tore cartilage in his right knee in Week 2 against Miami in 2005, and aggravated the injury two games later against Baltimore. He played through the pain — typical of the toughness he displayed throughout his career — but ended his season after the Jets' 12th game.