Of fond farewells: Hawkins throws love at Cincinnati and Cleveland upon NFL retirement

It might have surprised some Tuesday when former Bengals/Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins announced his retirement from the NFL, but anybody who came across him as a pro probably wasn't shocked by the love he threw at Cincinnati last night.

Hawkins, the rabbit-quick 5-foot-7 micro dot who graduated from Toledo, penned this letter through the USA Today Network, saying that, "I can remember praying and hoping for the days of Bengals' playoff games" when his older brother Artrell Hawkins was a Cincinnati defensive back.

There’s a lot going on around Hawkins, who joined the Bengals as a free agent in 2011 and played for the team for three seasons before working for the Browns from 2014-’16.

He recently graduated from Columbia with a master’s degree in sports management and suggested that he will pursue a Ph.D.

Twitter was abuzz Tuesday evening with hits about Hawkins. Here are a few:

Hawkins also penned a letter to Cleveland . . .

And he has said that he will donate his brain -- after he dies -- for research.

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