Ryan Benesch Announces His Retirement After 19 NLL Seasons

A letter to everyone,

There comes a time in every athlete’s career when they have a difficult choice to make: “Do I try to push one more year, or do I finally admit it’s time to walk away from the game I love?”

Today is the day I have finally come to terms with the fact that it is my time to graciously and gratefully hang up the gloves.

Today, I’ve chosen to end my playing career as a professional lacrosse player without any regrets.

19 years. For 19 unbelievable years, I’ve been fortunate enough to call myself a professional athlete, compete with and against the greatest lacrosse players on the planet, form some of the strongest friendships and see parts of the world I never thought possible.

Obviously, there are so many people to thank for allowing me to be in the position I’m in.

To all the owners, GMs, coaches, teammates, training staffs, office staffs and everyone in between, I cannot thank you enough for everything.

To the fans

Thank you for all your support. Your letters, messages, and comments fueled me to be at my best every night. We, as players, are lucky to have the greatest fans of all sports!

To the players

What an honor it’s been to compete with you all. I wish you all the best of luck in your careers and hope that you find the same love and happiness I did from this wonderful game. I will cherish the battles, the celebrations and bonds I have created with you. Thank you for always pushing me to be better than the last game.

To my family

Mom and Dad, if you hadn’t put me in lacrosse at 4 years old, who knows where we’d be right now, but I’m truly thankful you chose to. Your love and support always pushed me to perform at a level I hoped would make you the most proud. I always loved my phone calls from you both after my games. Dad would tell the truth (good or bad), while Mom would tell me I was great no matter how I played. Words cannot say enough to explain how grateful I am for you both.

Mom, Dad, Krystal and Eric, I love you, and thank you for sharing this experience with me.

To Jaide and Parker

Where do I begin?

Jaide, the last 8 years of my career were beyond anything I thought possible because of the love and support you gave me. You always made sure to remind me just how great I could be, to keep pushing, keep believing and keep having fun. You supported me through the ups and downs, highs and lows… and always made sure to make everything okay.

We brought our son Parker into this world 4 years ago, and you still wanted me to play and compete even though that meant most weekends alone at home taking care of him. You are the backbone of our family, and honestly, none of this was possible without you. The last 8 years together—getting to experience different cities, the trips, the friendships we’ve made—are something I’ll hold close to my heart forever. I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. I love you.

Parker

I’ll never forget the first time Mom walked you down the stairs and brought you to the glass to see me. From then on, I promised myself I’d play every game for the both of you. To make you proud of Dad.

Seeing your face on the glass during warm-ups gave me my greatest memories. I hope one day you understand just how much it meant to me.

It’s now time for me to step back and watch your own lacrosse career unfold. Mom and I will be your biggest fans, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.

Jaide and Parker, I’m thankful for all the trips, hotels, milestones and sleepless nights we spent together. I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you both always and forever.

To everyone who shared in my lacrosse career… thank you.