Giants four-time Pro Bowl guard Snee retires

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning scrambles from the pocket as guard Chris Snee (L) blocks and nose tackle Jay Ratliff (R) pursues in the first half of their NFL football game in Arlington, Texas October 28, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Stone

(Reuters) - The New York Giants lost a member of the family on Monday when four-time Pro Bowl guard Chris Snee announced his retirement after 10 seasons with the National Football League club. Snee, who has been plagued by injuries the last couple of seasons, was perhaps best known for being the father of Giants head coach Tom Coughlin's grandchild when the player was drafted in the second round in 2004 out of Boston College. Ten years later, he was remembered as a stalwart on Giants teams that won Super Bowls 42 and 46 over the New England Patriots. "I think Chris was everything you could ever hope for in a player: toughness, integrity, and a lot of pride," Giants president and chief executive officer John Mara said in a statement on the team's website. "Winning mattered to him. I think he set a great example for all of the other players. He's somebody we're going to miss very much. He was one of the greatest offensive linemen in Giants history, and he'll be on that Ring of Honor someday." Snee, 32, was a Pro Bowler in 2008-10 and in 2012, and was selected as an All-Pro in 2010. From 2005-11, he started 101 consecutive regular-season games in addition to seven postseason games. "To me, he was the best guard in all of football," Coughlin said. "No doubt." Snee's body betrayed him in recent years as he required two hip surgeries and an elbow surgery from an injury last season in which missed 13 games. "I'm thankful to the Giants for giving me this opportunity to try to come back, but I told (general manager) Jerry Reese face-to-face, that I would give him an honest evaluation and I'm a man of my word. "I would not be able to help the team the way that I expect of myself or the way that they would expect of me." Snee's retirement leaves only quarterback Eli Manning and special teams player and long snapper Zak DeOssie as active Giants who played in both Super Bowl triumphs. "I'm obviously disappointed just because we've had a long run together," Manning said of Snee. "We've won a lot of games and been through a lot together and been great pals, so I told him I'd miss him." Snee married Coughlin's daughter during his rookie season and they have given Coughlin three grandchildren. (Reporting by Larry Fine in Winchester, Kentucky; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)