A disastrous circumstance forced the best player on the Indianapolis Colts to retire.
Colts starting strong safety Khari Willis is retiring from the NFL after just three seasons in order to pursue ministry full-time.
Willis, who is 26, was given an excused absence from the team’s organized team activities and mandatory minicamp this offseason in order to focus on a personal matter.
He was answering a call.
“With much prayer and deliberation, I have elected to officially retire from the NFL as I endeavor to devote the remainder of my life to the further advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Willis wrote in the Instagram post announcing his retirement Wednesday.
Willis’s decision did not come lightly.
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The 26-year-old starter was headed into the fourth and final season of his rookie contract, placing him less than a year away from his first shot at free agency and a potentially significant raise in his second contract.
Willis, who had earned roughly $3 million in his first three seasons in the NFL, also walked away from $2.54 million in base salary in 2022.
