Steelers LB Vince Williams retires ahead of training camp

The Pittsburgh Steelers already lost a player one day before officially opening training camp. 

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert confirmed via a Wednesday statement that linebacker Vince Williams has announced his retirement. 

"Vince Williams notified us today that he will retire from the game of football," Colbert explained. "We respect his decision and want to thank him for his time with us as he consistently showed great character and leadership in addition to his contributions on the field. We wish Vince and his family all the best." 

Williams entered the NFL when the Steelers drafted him in the sixth round back in 2013 and never played for a different club. Pittsburgh originally made him a salary-cap casualty in March but re-signed him the following month. 

According to Pro-Football-Reference, Williams started 69 of 121 career regular-season games and recorded 479 total tackles, 20.5 sacks, six fumble recoveries, a pair of interceptions, and 50 tackles for loss. 

As Kevin Patra noted for the league's website, the Steelers and Dallas Cowboys are beginning their training camps earlier than other clubs because those two sides will meet in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 5.