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.
"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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