TODD WEINER RETIRES

The Atlanta Falcons have announced the retirement of veteran tackle Todd Weiner. Weiner, an 11-year veteran, has played for the Falcons since 2002. He previously spent four seasons with the Seahawks. “I want to thank [owner] Arthur Blank, [G.M.] Thomas Dimitroff, and Coach [Mike] Smith for the opportunities they gave me to play here,” Weiner said. “The Falcons are a first-class organization and due to the positive experiences my family and I have had here in Atlanta, we will continue to live and be active members of this community.” “Todd Weiner epitomizes toughness, grit and everything a championship caliber football player should be,” said Falcons coach Mike Smith. “As good of a player as Todd was for the Falcons, he was an even better person in our community through a variety of highly publicized charitable endeavors working with children. He will be sorely missed by our football team on and off the field, but one thing is for certain -- Todd will always be a Falcon.” Weiner appeared in 16 regular-season games, starting 11, in 2008. Under contract for three more years, he’ll head to the reserve-retired list, and the team will continue to hold his rights.