Steelers WR Hines Ward retiring

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward retired on Tuesday rather than try extending his career with another team.

The decision comes three weeks after Ward was released by the Steelers in a salary cap maneuver. The 36-year-old Ward is the franchise's all-time leader in every major receiving category, including receptions, yards and touchdowns. Ward said following his release he believed he "still had some football in him," but changed his mind.

Ward was the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Super Bowl after catching five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh's 21-10 victory over Seattle.

The four-time Pro Bowler saw his playing time decrease last season behind Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown. Ward finished with just 46 receptions, the fewestAs President Obama's tenure in the White House draws to a close, the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian issue has once again burst to the forefront of the foreign policy debate in Washington.

On Dec. 23, the United States abstained on a vote in the United Nations Security Council reiterating the illegality of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Five days later, Secretary of State John Kerry John Forbes KerryThe Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates Divided country, divided church TV ads favored Biden 2-1 in past month MORE delivered a major policy address on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, casting in doubt the feasibility of a two-state resolution as Israel continues its relentless settlement drive undeterred.

With the new Congress now in session, the House is poised to vote