The Arizona Cardinals will honor legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on Sunday at halftime of their game against the Denver Broncos. They will retire his No. 11 jersey and induct him in the Ring of Honor. Fitzgerald was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, and fans will finally get to give Fitzgerald their send-off they never got to when he stopped playing after the 2020 season, as he never announced his retirement after 17 seasons with the Cardinals.
It made sense to do it this year following his enshrinement, but it almost happened a few seasons ago, according to Fitzgerald.
"Actually, about three years ago, we decided on a date, and I had something familywise come up shortly after we had agreed on it," he explained. Owner Michael Bidwill was flexible, as he and Fitzgerald have a great relationship."
Now, with the Hall of Fame enshrinement complete, he felt it was the right time.
"We felt like this was the right time and we thought it was cool to be able to do it in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month," he said. 'The Cardinals have been great about early detection and really being proactive in the community amongst so many other things. We just felt like it was the right time."
When it came down to Week 5 or Week 7, the college football schedule was considered, as Fitzgerald's oldest son, Devin, plays for Notre Dame.
"Devin has the bye week," Fitzgerald said. "One of the reasons I picked this week is because Notre Dame is on the bye. (To) be able to have him here and to be able to be with Apollo and Milo, to be able to do it together, that's something that was really important."
He will have all three of his sons with him, just as he did in Canton for the enshrinement.
The celebration, while it could have happened years ago, perhaps in 2023, is finally here. It is a great weekend to celebrate him, finally.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Larry Fitzgerald's Ring of Honor induction could have been earlier