Pouncey brothers retiring after decade of excellence

Two of the finest offensive linemen of the past decade are calling it a career.

Twin brothers Maurkice and Mike Pouncey, with 13 total Pro Bowl selections between them, are retiring from the NFL. The news was revealed Friday morning in a Twitter post by Ramon Foster, a longtime teammate of Maurkice with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maurkice was named to nine Pro Bowl squads in 10 seasons as the Steelers’ center. He also earned two first-team All-Pro selections and was picked for the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was selected No. 18 overall in the 2010 NFL draft by Pittsburgh.

Mike earned four Pro Bowl invitations during his decade-long pro career with the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers. The No. 15 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, he mostly played center as a professional but also briefly served as a guard with the Dolphins.

The brothers starred as teammates at Lakeland High School in central Florida and at the University of Florida prior to their NFL careers. They were key members of the Gators’ BCS national championship team in the 2008 season.