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Ramon Foster retires as 'Steeler for life'

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Ramon Foster announced his retirement on Monday.

"When the time comes, you just know and now is the time for me to take a bow," Foster, 34, said in a statement. "I've made some friends for a lifetime, had some moments that I'll never forget, and seen some things I never thought I would because of this game. First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife and sons. I also want to thank the Steelers organization -- Coach [Mike] Tomlin, Mr. Art Rooney II, the late Ambassador [Dan] Rooney, and Kevin Colbert for making Pittsburgh feel like a family. There are so many more people I need to thank, including everyone on staff with the Steelers. I would also like to thank my teammates who made this journey something very special to me and my family -- you guys were amazing.

"Last but definitely not least, thank you to the best fans in all of sports. I'm glad to say I was a Steeler for life, and there is no other organization I would have rather played for in my career."

Foster has been a dependable starter on the line -- primarily at left guard -- for the past decade for the Steelers.

He first joined Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and became a full-time starter by his third year. Overall, he has started 145 out of 160 games in which he played, including 119 of the past 120.

Foster was also instrumental as a team leader and NFL Players Association representative.

ESPN's Brooke Pryor contributed to this report.