Chargers' Nick Hardwick to retire Tuesday

San Diego Chargers center Nick Hardwick will announce his retirement from professional football on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old spent his entire 11-year career with the Chargers and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2006. He spoke to U-T San Diego's Michael Gehlken about his decision.

I'm nervous about tomorrow just because it's so final. To declare your intentions publicly and vocally, it's so final. But I'm also really excited. It's going to be a really good celebration of a fabulous career. I've had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot. That's where I am now, reflecting what I took from it.

Hardwick was selected by the Chargers in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft.

I got a fast track to life on a professional and personal development course. I feel like I have the wisdom of a 60-year-old in a 33-year-old's body, and I'm so thankful for that. Everything is so elevated in football. The highs are so high, and the lows are so low. … It's a big soul-searching journey. I'm really thankful that I guess I found the sport, and the sport found me.

After missing almost the entire 2014 season, Hardwick said injuries may have played a role in his retirement.

Nerves were getting compressed through various forms. My hands were going numb during training camp for weeks at a time. I was losing feeling in my fingers up through my elbows. I was having a bunch of stingers. On a daily basis, my hands were asleep, my elbows were burning, and I was losing a normalcy to life. It became reckless to continue playing.