Consider the olive branch accepted, and the fences mended. Eric Dickerson is going to retire as a Los Angeles Ram.
A season after the former Rams star was barred from attending the team's games (thanks to his harsh critcism of the team's then-coach, Jeff Fisher), the Hall of Fame running back is ceremoniously hanging up his cleats with the team that drafted him, the team announced Monday. Dickerson is set to sign a one-day contract with Los Angeles on Tuesday more than 20 years after he last played a professional down.
"Eric took the NFL by storm the moment he joined the Rams -- from an outstanding rookie season, to a string of Pro Bowls and awards, and an unforgettable 1984 season to claim the league's single-season rushing title," Rams COO Kevin Demoff said, via a news release from the team. "While Eric has always been a member of the Rams family, we believe that it was time to officially cement his legacy as a member of the Los Angeles Rams, as his accomplishments and contributions to our franchise deserve to be celebrated and remembered forever. We are proud to honor the Hall of Fame career of Eric Dickerson with his family and Rams fans everywhere."
Dickerson's career ended after the 1993 season in which he played four games for the Atlanta Falcons. The running back finished with 13,259 career yards rushing and 90 rushing touchdowns on 2,996 carries. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see this gesture as the Rams attempting to make amends for the PR debacle that was the war or words between Dickerson and the franchise upon its return to Los Angeles in 2016. Los Angeles is rebuilding the bridge between one of its greatest players of its past with its sunshine-filled future in Southern California.
UPDATE: