Steelers safety Troy Polamalu informed owner Dan Rooney Wednesday that he has decided to retire from football, the Herald-Standard reports.

"It's all about family," Polamalu said in a phone interview. "I live here in Pittsburgh now, and since the end of the season I've had a chance to enjoy my family on a level I never had before. It was awesome."

The Steelers had asked Polamalu, who carried an $8.25-million cap hit for 2015, to retire in February, but he resisted until this week. He dealt with a sprained knee ligament last season but believed he could still continue playing.

"I did not seriously consider playing elsewhere," Polamalu said. "It was just whether or not I wanted to play. I had talked to a lot of people about what I should do with my situation, and what they kept saying back to me, and which was not a sufficient reason, was 'Troy, you played 12 years in the NFL, you won Super Bowls, won individual awards. There's nothing left to prove. You have a legacy.' And I just kept saying, 'First of all, I don't care about a legacy. Second of all, I play the game because I enjoy it.' That's the reason to keep playing.

"Like I said, what it came down to was definitely family. If I'm in my fourth year, fifth year, even if I'm in my 10th year, I'm playing in Alaska. But when I started this process and started to debate whether I should come back or should I play, that was kind of the sign for me to say 'Whoa, if you're just even debating it maybe you shouldn't play anymore,' because what I do know about this game is it takes a lot –a lot – of commitment just to be an average player."

Polamalu finishes his 12-year career with 32 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles, 12 sacks and five defensive touchdowns.