Giants OL Diehl retires after 11 seasons

East Rutherford, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) - David Diehl announced his retirement Friday after 11 NFL seasons as a durable offensive lineman, all of them with the New York Giants.

Diehl, 33, said it was an honor to play for the Giants.

"You took a 22 year old from the South Side of Chicago in the 5th round to winning 2 Super Bowls," Diehl wrote on Twitter. "I can never thank you enough but now I am proud to forever call this place my home."

Drafted out of Illinois with the 160th overall pick in 2003, Diehl started his first 120 regular-season games and seven postseason games, the longest streak by a Giants player since the NFL expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978, the team's official website said.

Diehl didn't miss a game until Week 10 of the 2010 season.

He played 164 regular-season games on the Giants offensive line, starting 160, and won Super Bowl rings in the 2007 and 2011 seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 2009.

"To my coaches and teammates: They say a man is built by the people he surrounds himself with. I could not have had a better foundation to start and finish my career," Diehl tweeted.

"To the greatest fans in the world, it's been one hell of a ride," he wrote. "Nothing is greater than playing in front of you on Sundays."

Diehl had surgery in August to repair a thumb injury and was limited to 11 games this season. It was the fewest number of games he played in 11 seasons.

In June of 2012, Diehl was arrested after crashing into two parked cars in Queens and pleaded guilty eight months later to a DWI charge.

Diehl played both tackle positions and both guard positions in his career, spending most of his time on the left side of the line.