GREEN BAY, WI - NOVEMBER 30: Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork #75 of the New England Patriots warms up before the NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 30, 2014 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Patriots 26-21. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Vince Wilfork announced on Monday he is retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons, and the 35-year-old nose tackle chose quite a quirky way to reveal the news: with a Kingsford Charcoal commercial he posted on his Twitter page.
“Well y’all — its’ been a great run, but the time has come. @Kingsford #Sponsored,” Wilfork captioned the video.
In the video, Wilfork announces that the New England Patriots — for whom he played his first 11 seasons (2004-2014) — will hold a “farewell tailgate” for him at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 7 before their regular season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“No more cleats,” Wilfork says in the ad. “I’m moving on to smoke meats, fellas. Peace out!”
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Patriots coach Bill Belichick praised Wilfork before the start of Tuesday’s practice.
“Vince is a great player, had a great athletic career,” said Belichick. “Great player here. Did a lot for our football team in a lot of different way on and off the field. He’s a special, special, special player.”
The 6-foot-2, 325-pound tackle — who has played the past two seasons with the Houston Texans — began mulling retirement after the Texans missed the playoffs last season.
Wilfork, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, was also named First-Team All-Pro in 2012 and helped lead the Patriots to two Super Bowl titles in his first and last seasons (2004 and 2014).
The former first-round draft pick out of Miami recorded 559 tackles, 16 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 24 pass breakups and 3 interceptions in 189 regular-season games.
Wilfork retires ranked 14th on the club’s all-time tackles list, with 355 tackles. His 158 games played also rank as the 16th-most in club history, and are the sixth-most among all Patriots defensive players.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Shalise Manza Young, Wilfork won’t become eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame until 2022.
GREEN BAY, WI – NOVEMBER 30: Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork #75 of the New England Patriots warms up before the NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 30, 2014 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Patriots 26-21. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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