Wed Jun 11 17:28:05 2008

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Ogden to announce retirement

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Owings Mills, MD (Sports Network) - Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden will announce his retirement on Thursday.

The Ravens have scheduled a press conference for Thursday at 11:30 a.m. (et) where Ogden, who is retiring primarily due to a nagging toe injury.

The UCLA product said at the end of the season that he was leaning towards retirement, but wanted to give his toe time to heal. When the condition did not improve, he made the decision to put the cap on what will likely be a Hall of Fame career.

The 33-year-old appeared in just 11 games last season, the fewest in his 12 NFL seasons, due primarily to a hyperextended big toe on his left foot suffered late in the 2006 season. His departure leaves a gap at left tackle for new Ravens head coach John Harbaugh that is likely to be filled by Jared Gaither, a second-year player out of Maryland.

An 11-time Pro Bowl selection, Ogden was the Ravens' first-round pick and the fourth overall choice of the 1996 NFL Draft.