FOXBORO, Mass. — When Patriots special teamer Matthew Slater retires from football, he's got his sights set on his childhood roots in California.
Slater plans to start an internship at Calvary Church in Santa Anna, Calif., and eventually help others by getting into marriage and family counseling.
"That's what I've wanted to do, since probably high school," Slater said. "However long the Lord allows me to keep playing, I'll play, until they run me out of the league. But it's definitely something I'd like to pursue."
Slater, the quiet, humble son of Hall of Fame lineman Jackie Slater, traces everything back to his religion, so it's only natural for him to desire to strike up a post-football career that centers around helping others.
"That's definitely something I've had a passion for, even as a young man, and I still have it to this day," Slater said. "I was born and raised in that church. That's my second family, aside from my parents and my brother. They've had a lot of influence on my life and who I am, so I'm very grateful for the people in that church."
Slater, a 25-year-old who is in his third season with the Patriots, isn't in a rush to leave the NFL, but he's at least determined to follow a specific path.
He is also coming off of his best season, which was anything but guaranteed in the summer when he missed a full month of training camp with a calf injury and had less than a week to show the coaching staff he deserved a spot on the team.
Slater led the Patriots with 21 tackles on special teams. He did so by overtaking the likes of Tracy White (18 special teams tackles) and Kyle Arrington (16) with a huge late-season surge, as Slater had 12 stops in his last five games, including three games with at least three tackles.
"It means a lot, but more important is the team success," Slater said. "I just thank God for allowing me to be here and have an opportunity to play for the team this year, especially after being hurt in training camp.
"It's not about an individual statistic to me. Yeah, that's great and all, but now I just want to keep winning. That's all anybody cares about right now, just keep winning."
