Stephon Tuitt is hanging up his cleats.

The 29-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle announced his retirement on Wednesday after eight NFL seasons.

"I am thankful to have had the opportunity to represent the city of Pittsburgh for the past eight seasons, and am blessed to leave this game with my health," Tuitt wrote. "After the tragic loss of my brother Richard, and upon completing my degree from the University of Notre Dame, I know I am being called to move beyond the sport of football. I want to thank everyone for the love and support they have shown both on and off the field, and again want to thank the Rooney Family, Coach Tomlin, and the entire Pittsburgh organization. It was an honor and a privilege to play for this historic team. Go Steelers."

New Steelers general manager Omar Khan released a statement of his own, thanking Tuitt for his contributions to the team.

"His success both on and off the field speaks volumes for who he is as a person and a player," Khan wrote. "Stephon has always handled himself with class and maturity as he continues to be a great husband, father, son and family man in his personal life. Now that he has informed us he is retiring from football, we are all thrilled to see what he becomes as a person and professional after graduating from Notre Dame this past month. We are excited for what lies ahead in his life and will continue to support him in any way we can."

A native of Miami, Tuitt missed the entirety of the 2021 season with a lingering knee injury. In his last full season in 2020, Tuitt appeared in 15 games, recording 45 tackles, two forced fumbles and 11.0 sacks.

Originally taken with a second-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of the Fighting Irish, Tuitt had 246 tackles, six forced fumbles, an interception and 34.5 sacks for his career over 79 games.