Robert Windsor is calling it a career.  The former Fond du Lac football standout and Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle announced his retirement in a Twitter post Wednesday evening.  Windsor, 25, was drafted by Indianapolis in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was cut toward the end of training camp in September, but returned to the practice squad. He had two tackles during the regular season. Injuries derailed him in 2021 and he spent the entire season on injured reserve. 

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“Nine months ago, I had two major surgeries – one on my hip and one on my groin,” Windsor wrote on Twitter. “Both were extensive, and the recovery process has been an arduous one. After months of rehabbing, I’m still not where I need to be to compete on the football field. I have been playing football for 17 years. Up until this point, football has been my identity and how I receive my self-worth. With that being said, this has been one of my most challenging years yet. If I’ve learned anything from football, it’s that pain ultimately leads to growth. This pain has forced me to look within myself and find out who I am without the game I have loved and played my whole life with.”

Windsor, a 2015 Fond du Lac graduate, had 38 tackles and five sacks for the Cardinals in the fall of 2014. He committed to Penn State the following January and had solid junior and senior campaigns with the Nittany Lions in which he totaled 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss.

“I am eternally grateful for everything football has given me, and for those who have helped me grow along the way,” Windsor added in the Twitter post. “I want to thank the Colts organization for taking a chance on me in the 2020 draft. I wish I still had more to give to the game that has given me so much, but sadly things don’t last forever and my time to retire has come. I am entering this phase of life with gratitude and ready to start my journey to self-discovery and healing.”