TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Quinn Pitcock spent a lifetime preparing to play pro football.

It took one year in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts for Pitcock to decide he wanted to do something else. The defensive tackle has decided to retire at age 24.

"After much deliberation and careful thought, Quinn resolved to retire from the NFL," agent Brad Leshnock said in an e-mail confirming Pitcock's decision.

The reason for Pitcock's retirement remains a mystery. Leshnock said Pitcock informed team officials of his intentions last week.

The former Ohio State player did not report with the rest of the Colts last Thursday. The move still surprised the Colts, who expected the 2007 third-round pick to be a contributor in their defensive line rotation behind starting tackles Ed Johnson and Keyunta Dawson.

Coach Tony Dungy and team president Bill Polian even told Pitcock he could have more time to reconsider. Should he decide to return later, Dungy said the Colts would welcome him back.

"We want to leave the door open for him because I have been aware of people changing their minds," Dungy said. "We told him to take as much time as he needed."

Officially, the Colts have not announced the retirement because Polian said the team has not received the paperwork. But that now seems like a formality.

Pitcock's announcement took his former Ohio State teammates by surprise.

"I always thought that he was going to pursue football for a very long time," senior defensive tackle Nader Abdallah said. "I guess some things came up in his life which I can't speak for, but since I've known him, he's always been about football, and just to hear that is extremely shocking."

Linebacker James Laurinaitis decided to return to Ohio State for his senior season rather than play in the NFL.

"Pro football players put in a lot of work, and if you're not totally focused on it, it would be hard to keep on going with it," he said.

Pitcock, a 6-foot-2, 299-pounder, was injured early in training camp last season but was healthy enough to play in nine games. He had 30 tackles and became a bigger part of Indianapolis' defense after former league sacks champion Dwight Freeney went down with a season-ending foot injury in November. The Colts allowed the fewest points in the NFL (262).

"(Pitcock) knows Ohio State is always going to be behind him," Laurinaitis said, "and he knows that Ohio State's alumni (are) going to be behind him, and Quinn's going to be all right."

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