" I'm going to try my best when try my best right now to describe to you. The way -- today. Had a thirteen years of football thirteen years NFL football. Thirteen years Patriots football I'm retiring. That. As difficult to say and it is difficult to do. Just in appear before you say that and but. Over my career. I worked so hard. To have his day more of like a celebration. More raucous celebration because this would be so much harder for me. If there was more that I want to to a conference. If there was any more girls that were left on the table. I think of everything I ever wanted to achieve in this game. And I was able to achieve those goals all the girls I ever had I accomplish whether it was turning myself into a linebacker from the defensive lineman. We're winning championships. Every every hurt every player's career. Every player that's in the locker rooms -- going to have a beginning middle and an end."

" And today's my hand. Today is my hand I feel like my career was just different than a lot of other players and it also different with my relationship with fans. They -- me here come in as an underdog in so many things I had to do to become successful to be a player first by. Vernon what a hook drop was playing linebacker I mean I had never taken a drop in my life. Into that ask that that talk about cover two was new to me I didn't even know where to go so. From garden there all the way to to become who I was in a contributor. And then a major contributor and a champion. The fans took that journey with me. They took that journey with me in and having a stroke in 2005. And and in my mind being retired. And then having -- come back they experience that with me too. And I can name I -- name fans -- names to you that I have relationships now that. Whether he was eleven years old in my rookie training camp and I saw him three weeks ago and -- for a 25 year old man now. You know that. The -- that I that. That I had such relationship with that or they'll send me an email now and then I have I have personal relationship with a with a lot of them and the support that they gave me is. Is if I could. Tell everyone of you individually -- would that thank you for for the support that you gave me in. And in times of good in the highest highs and the -- to you were there for me and it helped. It helped get me back it helped keep me up. And it helped the oppression or an appreciation that you had for me really helped me consider. Continuing to play in the year 10111213. It's a great day for me if I'm -- a great play and a when I get congratulations from people that I'm happy about that because. To -- you know you a lot of times are you congratulations on things aren't enough thanks thanks to one game scraper. Are you congratulations today is is different you know I really feel like this is the day that. We Heidi and I celebrate in there for all the people that said congratulations to me -- wishing your forming a thank you."