HE IS BACK: Patriot Are Happy To Welcome Him Back…

For what is probably the final time, Patriots legend Matthew Slater departs from his “new home.”

Although Matthew Slater’s 16-year New England Patriots career seemed to be coming to an end on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, the longtime captain chose not to make his decision public.

Slater remarked following the game, “Let’s talk about that another day.” I would like to thank the guys who were in the locker room today. I’m incredibly grateful for all of the love and support I’ve received this season, especially today and this week. I simply take pride in belonging to that group. It meant a lot to me to be able to work with those guys even though the season was what it was.

Many Patriots players wore personalized hoodies with Slater’s No. 18 and the word “Captain” on the back as they warmed up on the field. A rundown of Slater’s greatest achievements ran down the sleeve, with the words “The Patriot” printed on the front.

One of Slater’s longtime co-captain David Andrews was one of those teammates. Andrews usually warms up in shorts and a t-shirt, regardless of the weather.

“After the game, I got a lot of questions about Slate,” Andrews said. “Matthew Slater has made us all better, and I’m not sure how much more I can say about him. Many of you in this room have had to spend time with him, so you know it’s true if you have to. Because of Matthew Slater, we’re all better.

Slater, who dislikes being in the spotlight, was moved by the group’s homage.

“It was very meaningful,” a tearful Slater remarked. It had great significance. It truly amazed me. It did make me a little uncomfortable because I never wanted this experience to be about me, but I’ll never regret having the guys do that.

In addition to the encouragement from his teammates, Slater received a ton of love and gratitude from the Foxboro supporters, who were also present with his family. The California kid knew that this would be his new home forever as he walked off the Gillette Stadium turf for what was probably the last time.

It’s really humble. Once more, I spent much of my career as a little-known player on the periphery. Many of you predicted that I would be cut pretty quickly. Slater joked, “I thought I was getting cut too.” It is, however, extremely humbling to have the fan base accept me in the manner that they have and value the work that both my teammates and I do on the football field.

You know, it’s just difficult to put into words. And I never imagined that, even though I was 22 years old and so far away from home when I moved here in 2008, I would feel like this was my home. But it still feels like home after 16 years.