Kenny Phillips: 'No-brainer' to retire after accumulating injuries

After playing six NFL seasons over eight years, safety Kenny Phillips has had enough.

Phillips is retiring after he returned to the league to play a handful of games for the New Orleans Saints last season. He was released in October after spending two years out of the league.

He says that after a career filled with injuries, he's discovered "enough aches and pains where I know I can't play football no more."

"It wasn't tough to come to grips with it because physically I can't," Phillips told Christopher Stock of 247Sports. "It wasn't like, 'OK you're not good enough.' Physically it hurts to do this and it hurts to do that. It was like a no-brainer."

Phillips played five seasons with the New York Giants, where he was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft and won a Super Bowl in 2011.

The former safety has returned to his alma mater, the University of Miami, to finish up his degree majoring in sports administration and spend time as an intern with the football program this summer.

Phillips isn't angry about how his career played out and hopes to stay around the game after his playing career. He's testing out the coaching waters as well, but says that he's willing to do whatever is needed to be around the game.

"It was a blessing. It was a blessing to be drafted in the first round. It was a blessing to win a Super Bowl and end up in New York. The fan base up there is crazy. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed every season of it," said Phillips. "Unfortunately injuries are a part of the game. It took a toll. I'd love to still be playing right now, but physically I can't so I just keep my mind off of it and do the next best thing, which is be around it as much as I can. Not even coaching, I just enjoy being around it."