Wilfork transcript
Vince Wilfork, who was absent from the Patriots’ organized team activities last week, appeared at the Patriots Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament today at The International, and the nose tackle offered the following comments about his contract situation during an interview with sports radio station WEEI:
On why he missed OTAs:
Wilfork: “I mean, OTAs, you don’t go to work when you’re off, on your off days. OTAs wasn’t mandatory, it was voluntary, so I chose to sit out . . . because of the situation I’m in. It’s nothing personal towards the organization, it’s nothing personal towards my coaches or anything like that. It’s just basically what made the most sense to me at this point in time.
“I’m looking forward to moving forward, and with that being said, I’m looking forward to the season. It’s not the first time a player has gone through a contract negotiation problem. So I try to stay positive and at the same time do what’s best for me and my family. At the end of the day, that’s what matters to me. I can’t answer about what anybody else thinks, and what they think I should be doing. It’s all about me and my family.
“That’s how I’m moving forward with it. Whatever made the most sense to my family and I, that’s what I will do. That’s why everybody out there is saying, ‘That’s what I should do’ or whatever, ‘he’s doing this,’ [now] they’re hearing it from the horse’s mouth. And that’s where I stand right now.”
On whether he’s aiming for a contract similar to the $100-million deal Washington gave former Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth:
Wilfork: “Like I said, when I’m dealing with my situation, I’m not looking at none of those guys. I’m my own person. They did what they had to do when they had to do it. Me personally, I’m really not paying attention to those types of numbers. It is whatever makes more sense to me. I want to win, I love the people that I’m around, so whatever makes the most sense.
“I’m not looking to sign this big-time, going-down-in-history, the best contract there is. I want to be comfortable, but at the same time, I want to be with the guys that I go to war with. That’s Ty Warren, that’s Richard Seymour, that’s [Tedy] Bruschi, that’s Richard Seymour, guys like that I want to go to war with, and I don’t think I’ll find any better group of guys or coaches out there. So I don’t want to leave. So I’m pretty sure we’re going to do everything in our willpower to make it work.
“Hopefully, it works. Hopefully we get it done. But at the same time, I’ve got to take it one day at a time. And that’s what I’m doing here. They understand what I’m going through. They understand the situation. I’m not hiding from nothing. But I try not to talk about it because I try to stay positive. I get frustrated at times, but at the same time, you just look back and . . . me personally, I look at the team, my fellow teammates that I have personal relationships with, and I don’t think I get that anywhere else other than here. I want to be a Patriot. That’s not the question here. I want to be a Patriot, but at the same time, there’s a business aspect to it. Hopefully we can meet somewhere in the middle of this thing and get it over with. I hate the business part of it, but it is [a part of football].”
On whether it was difficult missing the OTAs:
Wilfork: “I love football . . . to miss the OTAs, that really hurt me, because any time my family is on the field, I want to be there. It hurt me to sit out, but at the same time, that’s the business part to it. I’m looking forward to the upcoming season. Hopefully everything is resolved, and if not, I’m gonna go forward, be 100 percent, and give everything that I have. Because that’s what I do. Just because of the contract or the negotiation, if that’s not done before the season, it won’t stop me from working hard. I will continue to work hard, I’m going to continue to put everything on the field. Because I have a guy like Ty Warren next to me looking for me, I have a guy like Jerod Mayo behind me. They’re dependent on me, so I have to live up to their expectations. And I expect the same from them. So regardless of the new contract or the same one, I will be happy, I love the game, that’s not a question, that’s not a doubt in my mind, and I will be ready to play this season.”
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