Matthew Slater ready for an emotional Sunday in what may be his last NFL game
New England's Matthew Slater is one of the best special teams players in NFL history, and he may bring a great career to an end on Sunday.
The 38-year-old Slater hasn't announced his retirement, but he talked this week about how everyone at the Patriots facility recognizes that it might be hist last week as an NFL player.
"I feel very appreciated by the people in the building, just thankful for how everyone has treated me this week, and the thanks they've expressed and things like that," Slater said. "I'm sure it'll be emotional Sunday, for obvious reasons, but my job is to focus on playing football, and I've always tried to do my job. That's not going to change on Sunday."
Slater is the son of Hall of Fame offensive tackle Jackie Slater, and he says both he and his dad had a mindset of football being what they do, but not who they are.
"The thing I hope people remember me by when my time is up is what I did off the football field, how I engage with the community, how I tried to use my platform the right way to connect with people, uplift them, and bring the people around me up. That's always been my approach," Slater said.
Slater said that as he has tried to make a final decision about retirement, he has talked to former teammates including Tom Brady about how to make the right decision for his future. Nothing definitive has been announced, but Slater was talking like a man who expects to put on the helmet for the last time on Sunday.
