Matt Light Retires After Lengthy Career With New England Patriots

Matt Light, citing family and the desire to go out on his terms, has announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 successful seasons with the New England Patriots. Light was a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champ.

Matt Light Retirement: Teammates, Coaches Offer Praise

New England Patriots left tackle Matt Light retired Monday morning after 11 NFL seasons, all with the New England Patriots.

Teammates and coaches used the opportunity to praise Light's leadership and sense of humor.

Per MassLive.com:

"He was a great prankster and that will be missed around there," guard Logan Mankins said following the announcement, which was attended by all members of the offensive line. "He always lightened the mood around there. Guys really enjoyed being around Matt. Those grinding days he always picked guys spirits up."

"He's one of my favorite teammates that I've ever had," Brady said during a video played at the conference. "I'm certainly going to miss him."

"To not fool around with guard and right tackle, that was probably one of the best un-coaching, undoing a bad decision that I've done," Belichick said of his initial decision to move Light to right tackle during his rookie training camp. "He's been a tremendous player for us, a tremendous resource for our team.

"He's given great leadership as well as great performance. A lot of levity that we probably need around here. Most of which I'll miss, but not all of it."

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Matt Light Retirement Press Conference Scheduled For Monday

The New England Patriots announced Friday that offensive lineman Matt Light plans to hold a press conference to announce his retirement on Monday.

The press conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the Patriots Hall of Fame and modern museum, and will be open to all Patriots Hall of Fame patrons. Half of the admission fees from 10-noon will be donated to the Light Foundation.

Speculation swirled earlier in the summer about Light's potential retirement when he dodged the question during an interview at a charity event. He has not attended any of the Patriots offseason workouts.

Light was the Patriots' starting tackle for the last 11 years, one of only a handful of players to be with the Patriots for all of their Super Bowl titles.

For more on the Patriots please be sure to check out our blog, Pats Pulpit and SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.

Patriots Offseason 2012: Matt Light Coy On Retirement Plans

New England Patriots offensive lineman Matt Light still has yet to reveal whether he plans to retire, telling reporters at a Wednesday charity event that he has no timetable for the decision.

"No, I'm just rocking and rolling," the 33-year-old Light told reporters when asked about his possible retirement. "I've been in Ohio, working on some stuff for the [Matt Light] Foundation. We have a youth turkey hunt coming up. Other than that it's been pretty quiet."

"No, not really. Although my wife has a pretty good idea on what is going to happen with me," Light said, winking at the reporter. "She keeps me pretty busy."

"You know, at this point, I'm just kind of taking it day by day," Light said. "We'll see how it goes. Sooner than later."

Light has started the last 11 seasons, all with the Patriots.

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