A.J. Hawk is at peace in retirement

That’s not to say that Hawk does not miss football.

He had 644 tackles in a solid 10-year NFL career, primarily with Green Bay and while he's not one for regret, he sure thinks back on what could've been. In perhaps the best first-person sports story you'll read this month, he recently wrote in The Players Tribune:

"Think about it: When you have Aaron Rodgers, who is the greatest quarterback of all time, you always have a shot at winning it all. And we had a great group of guys around him, too. I played with Brett Favre for two years and Aaron Rodgers for seven, and we only won one ring. Don't get me wrong, I'll always cherish the Super Bowl ring that I do have. But looking back, I believe we should have won more."

Hawk’s wife, Laura, apparently put together one heck of a surprise retirement party for him at Ohio Stadium, where former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, Rodgers and even current Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer showed up.

Hawk continues to play in that celebrity golf tournament, where last weekend -- not far from where Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis made that somewhat amazing putt -- he arm-wrestled a fan from the gallery.