Jason Worilds

Jason Adjepong Worilds (born March 3, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies and was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft. He retired during the prime of his career to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Early life Worilds attended Carteret High School in Carteret, New Jersey where he was a two-sport athlete in football and track. He played on the defensive line as well as linebacker and fullback. On the opposite side of the ball, he had 61 carries for 330 yards and four touchdowns. He was ranked the eight best in the country from scout.com.

College career

Worilds began by seeing the field in two games on defense and special teams. He blocked a punt against the North Carolina Tar Heels and returned it for seven yards. After though, he elected to have season-ending shoulder surgery and was granted a medical red-shirt. He finished his college career with 41 games played, 25 games started, 132 tackles (62 solo tackles), 34 tackles for loss, 15.00 sacks, 2 pass break-ups, 2 passes defended, 67 quarterback hits, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 blocked kick.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Worilds in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. On March 3, 2014, he signed his $9.754 million transition tender to stay with Pittsburgh.

On March 11, 2015, Worilds unexpectedly announced his retirement from the NFL at the age of 27 and after five years as a Pittsburgh Steeler. The choice to retire surprised many due to the start of the free agency period starting the day prior. He became an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and was expected to receive a $7-$8 million salary with at least $15 million guaranteed. Worilds chose to retire to dedicate his life to Jehovah God as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

He finished his career with 25.5 career sacks.

NFL statistics Year Team GP COMB TOTAL AST SACK FF FR FR YDS INT IR YDS AVG IR LNG TD PD 2010 PIT 14 17 12 5 2.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2011 PIT 12 38 27 11 3.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2012 PIT 16 27 23 4 5.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2013 PIT 15 63 43 20 8.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2014 PIT 16 59 39 20 7.5 1 2 0 1 30 30 30 0 2 Career 73 204 144 60 25.5 4 3 0 1 30 30 30 0 5