Beloved New England Patriots captain Matthew Slater announced his retirement from the National Football League Tuesday after 16 seasons in Foxboro.
The special teams extraordinaire played in 239 career games with the Patriots, racking up 191 tackles, earning 10 Pro Bowl Selections, and winning three Super Bowl titles.
In a statement posted on Patriots.com, Slater said his father, Jackie, inspired him to play professional football from an early age.
“For as long as I can remember, football has been one of the passions of my heart. Some of my earliest memories of the game are of watching my dad prepare for training camp with the Los Angeles Rams.