St. Louis ? Eric Crouch, the Heisman Trophy winner last year for Nebraska who tried to make the switch to wide receiver in the NFL, has decided to retire.

St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz said Wednesday night that Crouch, the team’s third-round pick in this year’s draft, informed him of his decision last Friday. Crouch did not make the trip to Denver for the team’s opening game against the Broncos on Sunday and has not practiced with the team since then.

Martz has closed practices for the first three weeks of the season, and the Rams had not made an announcement.

“This has caught us all by surprise,” Martz said. “He came in Friday and told me the news.”