Massachusetts State Police say retiring Vince Wilfork now has more time to pull people out of crashed cars
Perhaps one of Vince Wilfork’s most meaningful contributions during his time in New England did not come on the field.
It did not come during either of the two Super Bowls he helped the Patriots win, nor did it occur during any of the 158 regular season games the former defensive tackle played in for the team.
It happened on the side of the road in Foxborough hours after the Patriots’ 2015 AFC Championship win against the Indianapolis Colts.
Around 12:45 a.m., Massachusetts state troopers responded to reports of a rollover crash on Route 1. And to their surprise, they weren’t the only ones. Upon arriving at the scene, the 325-pound defensive lineman was already beside the crashed Jeep, checking on the driver, who was trapped inside the toppled vehicle.
With a trooper holding open the passenger door, Wilfork “reached in and helped lift the operator out of the vehicle with one hand,” police said (the driver was subsequently arrested on drunk driving charges).
As the Patriots honored Wilfork’s career Wednesday afternoon, state police jokingly tweeted that his retirement meant the 35-year-old now had more time to help them out.
Congrats @wilfork75 on ur retirement! 👏🏼
Now you’ll have more time to help us pull more people from crashed cars! We still talk about it!🤜🏼 pic.twitter.com/sCDmN2bo52
— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) August 9, 2017
Wilfork said at the time that he was simply doing what “anybody would’ve done” in the situation.
“I don’t want anything from it,” he told reporters the following day. “If I saw it a million times, I’d do it a million times.”
According to The Boston Globe, Wilfork added that he had learned to stay poised in certain situations through football and through life. At the scene, he said he tried to assure the scared driver and told her not to panic.
The incident, Wilfork said, also put his football career in context.
“You reflect on life,” he said. “Here I am, won the most important game of our season and flash right in front of your eyes, your life, somebody that’s in danger. I didn’t think about anything that was going on in my life at the time. The only thing I thought of was somebody is in there and getting them to safety. When I drove off, my wife and I talked in the car and said things are a lot more precious in life than games and anything you accomplish. It showed last night. We won the AFC Championship and there was a life in danger.”
The scene of the crash.
