TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lavonte David is retiring after playing all 14 seasons of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

David made the announcement Tuesday at the team’s practice facility.

“I feel it’s time to move on and find a different path in life, be a dad to that amazing little girl over there,” David said. “Having a girl helped me become a man, helped me understand what’s important in life.”

The 36-year-old linebacker was the heart and soul of Tampa Bay’s defense, helping the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl by dominating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 on Feb. 7, 2021.

David is one of only five players in the past 35 seasons with 40 or more sacks and 35 or more takeaways. Hall of Famers Jason Taylor, Junior Seau, Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher are the other four.

David finished tied with Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks for the most tackles (1,714) in franchise history, according to team stats. David is the franchise record holder in forced fumbles (33) and fumble recoveries (21), third in games played (215) and games started (215) and fifth in sacks (42 1/2). Additionally, David holds the franchise playoff records for total tackles (79) and solo tackles (57).

“Lavonte’s mark on our franchise could never be overstated,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said. “For the entirety of his 14-year career, Lavonte set the standard for professionalism, leadership and consistency. He embodies everything that it means to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer and he is undoubtedly one of the best players to ever put on this uniform. His contributions to our franchise, to his teammates and to this community will leave an impact far beyond his playing years.”

A second-round pick out of Nebraska in 2012, David was a first-team All-Pro in 2013 and made the second team in 2016 and 2020. He made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and missed just 14 games in 14 years.

David choked up talking about his parents and the sacrifices they made for him and his siblings, saying his dad would take him to practice on a bicycle because his mom needed the family car for work.

He said he almost quit football when his mother passed away in 2016.

“The day she passed away, I thought I lost it all,” David said. “Luckily, I had friends and family by my side.”

The Buccaneers signed veteran linebackers Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom in free agency, providing depth in advance of David’s departure.

David’s decision marks the end of another era in Tampa Bay. Six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans left the Buccaneers after 12 seasons, signing with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.

Both David and Evans were fan and coach favorites, team leaders and staples in the community throughout their tenure with the team.

Several of his teammates and members of the organization filled the auditorium for David’s announcement.

“For the past 14 seasons, Lavonte David has personified what it means to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. He was a selfless leader both on and off the field, playing with passion and a genuine love for the game. He leaves a legacy as a Super Bowl champion and one of the greatest players in franchise history, setting a standard that will continue to impact our organization for years to come,” The Glazer Family, owners of the Buccaneers, said in a statement. “Today, we celebrate Lavonte’s legendary career as one of the most accomplished players of his era and thank him for the many memorable moments he provided our fans. Beyond the statistics and accolades, he will be remembered throughout Tampa Bay for his humble demeanor and strong commitment to our community. We wish him well on his journey after football and look forward to honoring his Hall of Fame-worthy achievements in the near future.”

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A dominant frontcourt helped Florida earn another No. 1 seed and positioned the defending national champion Gators for a chance at a repeat.

They ran into a more physical team.

Ninth-seeded Iowa played tougher inside the paint and across the court, knocking No. 1 seed Florida out of the NCAA Tournament with a 73-72 victory on Sunday in the second round. The Gators became the first top seed eliminated from this year's March Madness, and the first since Xavier in 2018 to fall to a No. 9 seed.

“If their plan was to try to finish over our size at the rim, I would live with that any day of the week,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “That’s been a really bad formula for teams all year. We’ve been one of the best 2-point field goal defenses in America. We just didn’t to it tonight. Credit to them.

“I thought they were tough and physical and did a good job finishing around the rim and we did not. We did not do a good enough job preventing them from finishing it, but if that’s what they saw and they exploited it, then credit to them.”

Tavion Banks, who led Iowa with 20 points, said he knew the Hawkeyes could pull off an upset after reviewing Florida’s games.

“The physicality. We’re in two different conferences; we’re in the Big Ten, they’re in the SEC,” he said. “But I just know we’re more physical. And after just watching the film and just seeing what they were doing, I just knew that we had an opportunity to win the game.”

It came down to the final seconds after Florida rallied from a 12-point deficit and had a 72-70 lead with 8.9 seconds remaining. Golden wanted his team to foul to prevent a 3-pointer, but Bennett Stirtz broke through the full-court press and saw Alvaro Folgueiras wide open in the corner. Folgueiras nailed the 3.

Xaivian Lee drove hard to the basket but tried unsuccessfully to dish the ball to Thomas Haugh, and the Gators didn’t even get a final shot.

“I felt he stepped up, maybe I could have shot a floater or pull up or something,” Lee said. “I was going pretty fast, and I thought I had time for the dunk in, but I don’t know.”

Alex Condon led Florida with 21 points, Haugh had 19 and Lee added 17.

Rueben Chinyelu, who broke a school record with his 19th double-double of the season in a 59-point win over Prairie View on Friday night, was held to zero points and one rebound in 19 minutes.

“In the first half, I was just out of it,” Haugh said. “I just feel bad. I didn’t make any plays, didn’t do anything to help the team out to win the first half. But yeah, second half I thought we started to get in it. But they’re a good team, and they just played way harder than us and hit more shots and just made more plays in the end.”

Chinyelu, who had four fouls, only took one shot.

“We were not strong enough around the rim in the first half, nor were we able to get any deep post catches,” Golden said. “A lot of his opportunities around the glass as well, he had no offensive rebounds tonight. So I think a combination of that was the reason he was not as effective as normal.”

Florida finished 27-8, missing an opportunity to advance to the Sweet 16 and continue its quest for another title.

An emotional Haugh stayed down on the floor after failing to handle Lee’s pass at the end. Lee also was bent down in frustration.

“I’m going to remember this feeling for a while,” Condon said. “I’m just going to use it as motivation. I think it’s going to make us better players individually just to know what this feeling is like, working hard all year to get into this position as a 1 seed and just letting it get away from us a little bit.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness