gresh and fauria: Instant reaction to the retirement of Patriots special teamer Matthew Slater
A Patriots legend is hanging up his cleats.
On Tuesday morning, longtime New England captain and special teamer Matthew Slater announced his retirement through a message on the team's social media and website, marking the end of what should be a Hall of Fame career.
Here's what the 38-year-old wrote:
You can read his full piece on Patriots.com here.
After being drafted out of UCLA with the 153rd pick (fifth round) in the 2008 NFL Draft, Slater spend 16 seasons with the Patriots in Foxborough. The wide receiver turned special teamer became a 5x First-Team All-Pro, a 3x Second-Team All-Pro, and a 10x Pro Bowler in New England. He was also named to the Patriots' All-2010's Team, All-Dynasty Team
Slater is also, of course, a 3x Super Bowl champion -- winning XLIX, LI, and LIII with the club.
Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick called Slater, "just about he perfect player," this past season, and has grouped him in with Tom Brady (offense) and Lawrence Taylor (defense) when mentioning he's coached the greatest players in each phase of the game.
"As a core special-teamer, Slater is the best of all time," Belichick said of his candidacy for the Hall of Fame. "I hope he gets recognized for that."
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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