This morning, April 23rd, former Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos safety Brian Dawkins announced his retirement, and the end of a 16 year NFL career, on the social media site Twitter.While there had been rumors that he was considering retirement, his fans are still sad to see this future Hall of Famer leave the sport.

Dawkins tweeted, "The Lord has blessed me to play in the NFL for 16 years. I would like to thank the Eagles & the Broncos 4 believing in me. I would like 2 thank all my teammates & Coaches that I have been blessed 2 go to battle with. Along with u, the fans 4 helping make my career 1 that I have enjoyed tremendously. In other words. I am announcing my retirement from the NFL #BBTB"

Given the announcement was on Twitter, his fans were quick to begin tweeting and Dawkins was soon trending. Here is what a few of his fans had to say:

Eric de le Sprecher tweeted, "Congrats Brian Dawkins for a great career in the NFL. This definitely shakes up the Bronco's D and draft scheme." As a Broncos fan, I can definitely say that Dawkins will be missed this season. I was hoping that Dawkins could have had another chance at the Super Bowl this year with Peyton Manning leading the team.

Denver Broncos fans are not the only ones sad to see Dawkins retiring. Eagles fan @scarroll13 tweets out, "Sad day in Eagles Nation - Brian Dawkins, a true legend (& my favorite pro athlete of all-time) is retiring #20B-Dawk"

Jake Sagal showed his appreciation of Dawkins by tweeting, "Thank you Brian Dawkins for 16 amazing seasons. I'm gonna miss seeing #20 make amazing plays out of nowhere. Thank you Brian."

Many question why Dawkins decided to retire before this season and a chance to play with Manning. Lushi Dia tweeted, "Why would Brian Dawkins retire?!?!! Wait at least after this year to see what Manning has left in him.."

However, the biggest question now regarding Dawkins retirement is if it will be as a Philadelphia Eagles member once again. According to reports, the Eagles have extended an invitation to Dawkins to return and retire with the Eagles during a game this season. CSNPhilly.com beat writer Reuben Frank has reported via Twitter, "Dawk has told the Eagles he'll retire as an Eagle. He'll be honored at a game this year. Might even be in town this week to talk about it." I guess we will just need to keep an eye on Twitter for the official word from Dawkins.

As a Broncos fan, I would like to extend a huge thank you to Dawkins for his time with the Broncos. He will definitely be missed this season.

Deborah Braconnier is a former athlete and avid football fan. She is a freelance writer and Featured Contributor for the NFL and Olympics. She has followed the Denver Broncos since she was a child and is looking forward to a season with QB Peyton Manning. Follow her on Twitter at @fwcdeborah.

Link:
Brian Dawkins Announces Retirement from NFL Via Twitter and Twitter Responds: Fan Perspective