Long-time New England Patriots captain and three-time Super Bowl champion Matthew Slater has ended his legendary career. The 38-year-old released a statement on Tuesday that he has retired from pro football after 16 seasons and a combined 264 regular season and playoff games.
Slater’s journey from unheralded fifth-round draft pick to future Patriots and potential Pro Football Hall of Fame has been a remarkable one — one recalled by his family and former teammates in a video shared by the team after his retirement was made public. The eight-minute mini-documentary relives his career through the eyes of his private and professional companions.
Among the people interviewed are Slater’s parents, Jackie and Annie.
“He just loved football. Even as a young child he loved football,” said Slater’s mother. “We didn’t understand it because we tried to steer him in other directions, but it is something he had a passion for. But he was a daddy’s boy.”
Slater’s father, of course, is an all-time great NFL player in his own right. Over the course of his 20-year career, Jackie appeared in 277 games and was later voted to the Hall of Fame. A seven-time Pro Bowler, he had his No. 78 jersey retired by the Los Angeles Rams organization.
Following his father’s example, Slater began playing the game himself. The rest, as they say, is history.
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