Mike DeVito learned many valuable life lessons through football, including knowing when to give it up.

DeVito, a former University of Maine player, announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday after nine seasons as a defensive lineman.

Undrafted out of college, he was signed in 2007 as a free agent by the New York Jets, where he played his first six seasons. He played his last three with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I’ve been so grateful for the opportunity I’ve had,” said DeVito, in a phone interview from his home in Hampden. “I’ve learned so much from (football). One thing I didn’t realize until I stepped back was all the lessons it taught me and the way it prepared me for life … It got me ready for the next step in my life.

“I don’t know what that is, but I’ll be well prepared for it.”

Matthew Mulligan, a teammate of DeVito’s at Maine and with the Jets, said his close friend won’t lack opportunities.

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“I think anybody would want Mike DeVito to be part of anything they’re doing,” said Mulligan. “I think he’s going to be able to pick and choose what he wants to do.”

DeVito, 31, announced his retirement in a letter published Monday morning in the Bangor Daily News. The letter was crafted with the help of Aaron Jackson, a close friend of DeVito’s and a sports radio talk host in Bangor.

DeVito said he decided to retire a week ago, with the help of his wife, Jessie.

He finished his career with 250 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He had 19 tackles and a career-high three sacks with the Chiefs last year. His final game was played at Gillette Stadium – not too far from where he grew up on Cape Cod – where the New England Patriots defeated the Chiefs 27-20 in an AFC Divisional Round playoff game in January.

DeVito, 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, said he and his wife had actually been contemplating his retirement since he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the first game of the 2014 season.

“My goal was to come back and do the best I could to come back from the injury,” he said. “I felt good about how I played last year. And that brought making this decision closer to the forefront.”

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He was a free agent and while the Chiefs had indicated interest in bringing him back, DeVito decided to step away.

He didn’t want to uproot his family again – he and his wife have a son, Rocco, and another child on the way – and he said he “didn’t want to be wondering what type of player I was going to be going into 32.”

DeVito said health was an issue, but only to a degree. He feels the NFL has tried to make the sport safer through its rules and injury protocols.

“The concussion protocol they did to make sure I was OK (this year) was incredible, and frustrating at the same time because I just wanted to get back on the field,” he said. “The athletic training side of football has come so far and it’s worked it’s way down to the college and high school level. These injuries, no matter when you get them, can affect you the rest of your life.”

But while he is healthy now, he didn’t want to worry about the future. “That’s part of making those decisions, we had to think them through,” he said. “When you have a family and people who count on you, you’ve got to make sure you put them first.”

Jack Cosgrove, who coached DeVito at UMaine, said DeVito’s career was driven by his attitude, work ethic and determination – the same characteristics that made him stand out at UMaine.

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“He was Mr. Underappreciated for what he did,” said Cosgrove. “There aren’t a lot of tackles and sacks that get piled up but he was the guy on the team that everyone realizes is (the reason) why your defense is playing well. That’s how he established himself, as the ultimate team guy.”

Mulligan, who recently signed as a free agent with the Detroit Lions, said DeVito taught him how to be a pro.

“He treated me with the utmost respect,” said Mulligan. “When I first got to the Jets, he took me under his wings in more ways than one. He was like a big brother to me, he never let me pay for a meal, he taught me how to be a professional in the NFL. More than anything, Mike DeVito was a true professional and our relationship is very special.”

The two have worked out together in the offseason, but also share a deeply religious bond. DeVito, in fact, has delivered sermons at churches and joked that “I pray for the people who have to sit through my sermons because they’re a work in progress.”

His greatest moment in football, he said, didn’t come on the field. “It was the first time I saw my name on the back of a Jets jersey,” he said. “I grew up a Jets fan. I went to a small high school (Nauset High in Eastham, Massachusetts) and a small college. I had never had my name on the back of my jersey. I still remember it like it was yesterday.”


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