Bye Bye Barry

Summary

Bye Bye Barrydelves into the legacy of Barry Sanders , wide regard among the best work back ever to play in the NFL , who short retire from professional football at a young geezerhood in 1999 . Despite only being in the NFL for a 10 , solely with the Detroit Lions , Sanders is one of the most accomplished running backs to have ever played the biz . Sanders co - get ahead the NFL MVP award in 1997 and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year honor in 1994 and 1997 . He made the All - Pro squad in all 10 seasons he play in the NFL , which included six First - Team All - Pro selections and four Second - squad All - Pro selections .

Sadly though , despite Sanders ’s generational talent , the Lions did n’t reach much as a team from 1989 to 1998 . They made the playoffs five multiplication in his 10 years acting , but the uttermost they went with Sanders was their lone NFC Championship Game appearance in 1991 , where they recede to the Washington Redskins . Besides that , the Lions lost in the NFL Wild Card secret plan in their four other playoff appearance with Sanders . Because of that , Sanders is considered among the greatest NFL player to never make it to the Super Bowl . Perhaps that would n’t have been the pillow slip had he played longer , but Sanders felt he recede at the right time .

Barry Sanders Was Inducted Into The Hall Of Fame In 2004

Barry Sanders Was A First-Ballot Hall-of-Famer

The Pro Football Hall of Fame requires players to be retired for five years at lower limit to be eligible for induction . After retiring in 1999 , Barry Sanders was inducted in 2004 . Having been one of the most beautify running back to ever play in the NFL , sander being inducted into the Hall of Fame as quickly as he did was no surprisal . drum sander is one of 23 role player in Lions franchise chronicle to be induct into the Hall of Fame and was the 17th Lions player to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame .

What Barry Sanders Has Done Since His NFL Career Ended

Barry Sanders Has Not Been In The Public Eye Much Since Retiring

Despite being one of the gaudy players in the NFL during his peak , Barry Sanders did not appear in the public heart much . That was even more the case once he retired . drum sander was matrimonial to Lauren Campbell from 2000 to 2012 . They had three sons during their wedding : Nick , Nigel , and Noah . After he retired , Sanders atomic number 27 - write an autobiography titledBarry smoother : Now You See Him : His Story In His Own Wordswith Mark McCormick , where he speak about his encounter days and retirement .

Despite Sanders ending his NFL career so abruptly , his impact both on the NFL and the Lions franchise has remained strong over two decades . sander was named to the NFL 1990s All - Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All - Team Team . Sanders has also made up with the Lions , as he became the squad ambassador in 2017 . Sanders is also the only player in NFL history to have been on the cover version of aMaddenvideo biz double . The first time was in brief after his retirement , with the vent ofMadden 2000 . He was have again on the cover ofMadden NFL 25 in 2014 .

Why Barry Sanders' Retirement Was So Controversial

Retiring At His Young Age Was Very Baffling

Barry Sanders was only 31 and in his prime of life when he announce his retreat , which made it queer when he suddenly hung up his cleat as the time of year was about to start in 1999 . He had n’t usher any light signs of slowing down since he had been only two year removed from his co - MVP season in 1997 . He abruptly withdraw just before training camp , and since he was the Lions ' best musician , they had to change their integral game program . Neither the Lions nor its fanbase were happy to see him retire so suddenly . However , there was more to it than sander simply name it quits .

By retiring , Sanders left a lot of money on the table from his NFL contract and endorsements , but that did n’t matter to him . He also got into a contract dispute with the Lions about how much money he had to give back . Most confusing of all is that Sanders did n’t thoroughly explain his decision . In his retirement fax ( viaThe Oklahoman ) , Sanders write , " The intellect I am retiring is round-eyed : My desire to exit the game is greater than my desire to stay in it . I have searched my heart through and through and feel well-fixed with this conclusion . " Sanders reiterates the same view inBye Bye Barry .

Bye Bye Barry is streaming on Prime Video .

Bye Bye Barry Movie Poster

Legendary NFL running back Barry Sanders in his Amazon Prime Video documentary Bye Bye Barry

Barry Sanders at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004

Barry Sanders talks into a microphone as the Detroit Lions team ambassador

Bye Bye Barry