James Harrison has announced his retirement from the NFL.

Harrison spent 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and one last year with the Cincinnati Bengals.

"I have made the difficult decision to retire as of today," Harrison's statement said. "My love for my family and the need to be there for them outweighs my desire to play the game. I have missed too many experiences with them because I devoted SO much time to my career.

"My love for the game isn't strong enough to make up for missing one more birthday or first day of school."

The 36-year-old Harrison entered the league in 2002 as an undrafted free agent out of Akron.