Saskatchewan defensive lineman Scott Schultz, a career Roughrider, will announce his retirement on Tuesday, numerous sources have told Sportsnet.ca. A press conference has not yet been called, but Schultz will end his playing career early to pursue business opportunities.

The nine-year interior tackle has asked for some personal days this week to mull over opportunities after football and will end his career after being one of the franchise's most productive defensive players this decade.

Saskatchewan management had suspected this would be the 31-year-old's final season, but it wasn't until after the victory over Calgary on Saturday that leaving the game now became a possibility.

Players were informed Monday of Schultz's departure and were told a press conference would be held Tuesday. With Schultz's imminent departure, second-year Canadian defensive tackle Keith Shologan and rookie Michael Stadnyk (scratched last week) should get the bulk of the load in his place.

Schultz has recorded 178 tackles in his career and 35 quarterback sacks. He has started in all but one game over the past three seasons and was a critical part of the Riders playoff run to win the 2007 Grey Cup.