ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- Seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Deion Sanders retired from the NFL on Friday, two days before he was due to report to the Washington Redskins' training camp.
"In my discussions with [Sanders' agent] Eugene Parker, it was evident from his comments that Deion Sanders did not want to play football," head coach Marty Schottenheimer said.
"With that understanding, both parties have reached a mutually beneficial agreement. Deion Sanders will retire as a National Football League player, and a financial agreement has been reached."
The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, first reported Sanders' retirement on its Web site. The paper reported that Sanders will return a portion of his $8 million signing bonus -- up to $2.5 million -- and that the Redskins will receive salary cap relief next season for the returned portion.
The announcement comes one day after Sanders left the Syracuse SkyChiefs minor league baseball team.
"I've got to really get my head together and figure out what I'm going to do and what I want to accomplish," Sanders said Thursday night after hitting a home run in his final game.
Attempts to reach Sanders and Parker were not immediately successful.
Sanders had previously said he did not want to play for the Redskins this season, but the seven-year, $56 million contract he signed last year obligated him to report to training camp Sunday unless he was playing major league baseball. Sanders was in the majors earlier this year with the Cincinnati Reds, but he was cut July 17 after batting just .173.
Sanders' abrupt retirement -- coupled with his baseball failure -- would appear to bring to a sudden end the two-sport career of one of the most dynamic showman in sports in the last decade. Sanders combined flair with talent: He is considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, and is the only person to play in both the World Series and the Super Bowl.
But Sanders, 33, was disenchanted and restless last year as the Redskins failed to live up to their Super Bowl billing. He admitted his season wasn't up to his usual standard and perhaps not worthy of the money he was getting paid. During the World Series, he stood in front of his football locker and pined for baseball.
Sanders was upset when the Redskins overhauled their coaching staff during the offseason. He said he should have been involved when defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes left the team, and he said he did not trust Schottenheimer.
He then joined the Reds' organization, playing well at first. He talked of the joy he would have when the Redskins would release him to save $3.5 million under the salary cap, but that theory fell apart when he went into a baseball slump and got released by Cincinnati.
Sanders joined the SkyChiefs in the Toronto Blue Jays' organization, but his .252 batting average meant he was running out of options. He could either report to the Redskins -- a team he had disavowed -- or refuse to report and risk losing up to $6.86 million of his signing bonus. The retirement and financial settlement are a face-saving way out, but -- barring a change of heart -- it appears to spell the end of a Hall of Fame career.