Fletcher Cox's Retirement Press Conference

well today is a day uh and I know it's April whatever it is and uh I wish this was a April Foods joke but it's not it's real um first off you know I want to thank uh Mr lury uh you know obviously for changing my life you know drafted me back in 2012 um and obviously you know been here um 10 plus years um in the city of Philadelphia um changed my life my family's life and you know every around me uh secondly hoe um he's a big part of you know my success also um just you know trading up spots to draft me um and obviously um coach was was in his ear during the whole draft process about had bad he wanted me to be a eagle and how bad he wanted to coach me and you know how he um you know thank you thank you for that um Don U the president I just want to say thank you you've been a big part of you know me being here the whole time um and it's been very special Big D paon always you're my guy um to every coach uh you know that's that's I've been a part of staff and everybody um you know it's been important to me you know these you know this this 12 years and you know even back to high school coach wulk uh you know I can I can keep going coach Wallace you know guys that was so important to me um during my career early on and you know and those things that you don't forget you know lifetime is a long time and you know I learned that you know from a good buddy of mine and and it's it's true you know you never forget those people um you never forget you know who who helped you along the way um who's still helping you who still got your back um and so you know I'm going into this this whole thing you know you know my family is a big part of of of of what I've accomplished um you know I like to thank you know everybody that's aart you know my family obviously we got a coup of rows you know filled up here uh obviously Casey you know her family's here friends everybody flew in um so it's it's been very special and uh so you know if if I'm forgetting somebody you know the support staff you know you can't nobody really sees what goes on uh behind the scenes the trainers you know I can I can keep them name I can name a lot of them but steo you already know uh if I ever need help I'll be calling you buddy um so steo and you know Tom and you know that whole training step Chenise Jerome Joe you know even Mark when Mark was here he's he's played a big part of Mak Mak sure I got ready to go um you know the cafeteria you know T Roy keich you know everybody darra um James Eric you know I wish I could name all of y'all but I was trying to keep this as as you know as smooth as possible um you know the video the video um Department you know I got to thank y'all you know T4 you're always my boy you know uh and you know everybody in in there it's always it's always fun in games and but nobody really see what goes on on behind the scen and those guys are you know that staff is just as important um to me as anybody um that's been around me and and knowing you know what we put in so uh just you know it might sound like a script but you know mean mom you know I love you uh and you know you're you're you're part of the reason why I am where I am today the success I've had uh and you know it took a lot for you to get me to play the sport you know growing up and you always said your favorite words is I don't want my baby to get hurt and we had to I had to real you had to realize that at some point you know you had to let me grow up and be a young man and you did just that and I thank and love you for that you know to my sister's Nikki bam and my two grown nieces right here now uh thank y'all for always you know having my back um and being there you know through it all Mon and Jennifer I see y'all out there you know y'all always been there obviously um we all know that my brother um played a big part in in being a you know Father Figure in my life um and you know apparently I wish he could be here today but he's here with me in spirit and we all know that Casey you know you've always been here the last 5 years you know I Met You in 2012 and and it's always been special um but we've been obviously in the relationship for the for the last 5 or 6 years um so it it's been special you always have my back uh but to the city of Philadelphia uh you know it's it's been important that you know uh we all seen this day come and I always knew this day would come with me um and you know the city of Philly is tough to play for um and you know playing and Philly you got to have dick skin especially being drafted in the first round so to the Philadelphia I thank you a whole lot you know this I'm I see a bunch of faces right here in the media you know you guys are you know y'all have a job to do them y y'all always done that um in a respectful way and and that's the most important part is you know when you're a good player um and you know you know the media it don't matter who you are good or bad the media here you know it's tough uh it don't matter but they can be good to you sometimes and you always respect that but as a pro you have to realize that you know um you have to realize that it's it they they have a job to do also and I appreciate appreciate you guys you know just as much as I appreciate anyone else because without you guys you know a lot of the fans would would know you know half the inside of stuff that goes on um in locker rooms and you know whatever um so with that being said um some some some definitely some special people I really really really like to think Miss Leanne you know I appreciate you a lot um and you've always been there since I got drafted um and you always you know been there for me you know Miss Kathy who can't make it today I wish she was here but you know she's always been there and I always consider Miss Kathy and Miss Leanne as a second mom my mom away from home uh so uh to my teammates um that's always been there for me uh you know you know who you are BG Kelsey Vinnie um Lane and as I said in in my in my um in my thing that I put on the social media Derek Barnett the reason that Derek Barnett is has a special place in my heart is because that you know Derek and I we we share a similar story and uh we we often talk about that story uh and you know you you can't you can't thank him enough because two guys right beside each other in the locker room sharing the same story it's always been always been a part of of of what I what I've never thought I have in a teammate of d so basically like you know just growing up in back home y asza city um and you know you never know that I I never knew that I'd make it to this point in my life um in NFL and I appreciate um the small town that I'm from all the people that's there and um just me being able to make it out of Yu City it shows the youth that that there's a way out and and and that you can you can make it out it just depends on what you want to do how you want to handle it to Mississippi State um he gave me a chance to go and play my my you know college football career there and obviously I was able to play there three years in a row uh and you know Mississippi state is is home Mississippi is home but also Philly is home and has a special place in my heart this decision was not it was not it was not easy and I knew at some point um in my career it was time for for me to to retire from NFL is obviously the reason that I'm here today um you know it comes with a lot of emotions um uh this game is mentally and physically can take a toll on you and you know I've enjoyed it at the highest level um I've been at the highest levels and at that point I felt like that I've gave this game all I could give um and you know the game is given to me back you know I reached I've been part of the highs I've been part of the lows in this league and uh you know and I've enjoyed it all and you know you know as a human you look at yourself in the mirror and you realize and and and you ask yourself um you know is this something that you really want to do and then I told myself I want when I make the decision I want to do it with no regrets and I have no regrets about making this decision to retire from the NFL so so with that um you know today is a very special day for me it's a very special day for my family it's a very special day for this organization and it's a very very special day for the sil Philadelphia again I want to thank everybody that came here to support this I hope y'all didn't think it was going to be an hour long but I will um open up to to uh to any questions when you look back at this now what do you want your legacy to be when when people Philadelphia gen and everybody else looking look back at your career man when people look back at my career you know the biggest thing is I want them to look at the way that I played the game the the the honest way I played the game um the way I went out um the way that you know they looked at my leadership um even the younger guys you know I still want those guys to call me for leadership advice um and that's what I want to be looked at as you talk about some of the young guys you feel like that's part of your legacy too like what they do in their careers going forward oh absolutely you know I think that's that's part of it because got you got guys when I was when I was young um who led the way for me guys like Tran Co Cullen J Daryl tap you know those guys kind of showed me the way um of of how how to be a professional how to be a pro and how to go go by approaching you know things um in certain ways was there a moment that you knew um it was you weren't going to come back and play anytime during the season or after the season when did you kind of feel like you knew it well just you know going in honestly going into the season you know was kind of one of those things ahe in the back of my head um whether you know whether it be my last season or or not you know and then you know you know after the season I kind of I took some time to myself and you know uh you know realized that you know hey Fletch I think it's it's time for you to to go live life a little bit and uh you know enjoy um like things I'm looking forward to is going to see my nephew play football going to see my nieces play any kind of sports that they you know go and those those are things that that I'm looking forward to doing um and you know and and that was the biggest thing how important was it for you Fletch to finish where you started it's very rare you have people like Jason and you and BG and Lane playing in one place the entire time how important was that for you it it was very important and and you know the biggest thing is is you know the reason I have my entire family here because you know my entire family was at the draft when I got drafted so I wanted my entire family to be here when I retire um but it was very important um you know so um you know to me is you know you just you just got to realize and has it set in yet no it hasn't because you know normally you know you're I'm off this time training but you know will I miss it you know absolutely everybody does you spoke about how how it's changed your life Philadelphia What specifically about Philadelphia has has has has has has done that for you just the impact of just the impact of the great people that that's I've surrounded myself around um that that impact of of you know coming from a really really small town and you know at the age of 20 21 years old I'm in a in a in a big city somewhere I've never been and uh you know Mom told me you can't come back home so you got to figure it out and grow up and be a young man and I think I did just that you mentioned how your your mom when you first started playing had the thing about not you not getting hurt uh your durabil durability during your career you I think you only missed a little more than a handful of games what do you tribute tribute to that too and how were you able to kind of manage pain management play through that I mean I don't get banged up too much you know um the games I did miss is because I just specifically just couldn't go um I think in you know the first time I missed a game I think my rookie year had a concussion um I couldn't go there it was the last game of the season then the next two games I miss I think it was a grade like two or three cap strain which I work my butt off in the trainer come back in two weeks um but you know it was just the the off the way that I trained in offseason honestly um because you know I trained the same guy for a long time and he always told me Dion always told me that less was more and you know at first you know I didn't didn't understand what he was saying because I was such a young player but then the older I got I understood you know why he always told me less was more and you know just the way he we trained and recovered and the way we approached things in offseason really helped my durability during the season just to follow up real quick on that Kelsey has mentioned how the the injuries that he just they basically played a huge part in and him retiring um for you how fortunate do you feel to kind of get out with never having really a major injury and how do you feel physically at this point in your life I mean right now I feel great but I mean just you know knowing what you're got to put your body through you know during the during the season um knowing that the pain tolerance is you know and week one is going to be totally different in week 14 um and you know you go through it and you go through it and you go through it and find a way and and then that's what that's what football's about you finding a way to go out there um and to try to get the job done right for your team you know you know everybody around me know that something has to be broke for me not to go play and then that's the way I approached it and and that's the way that you know that I always try um try to try to try to be that guy you know on Sundays and sometimes I just tell you know coach hey just get me the Sunday and and then you'll appreciate it um so there's just certain things that you got to know your body um you got to train the staff that knows your body that know how to how your body responds to certain treatments to to get you to go mentioned Derek Barnett and you shared a similar story and you never thought you had a teammate in him in what ways did that show up and support you throughout your career so early in my career um you know obviously um my brother passed away um and early in Derrick's career his brother passed away so I was there for Derek to lean on his shoulder to tell him that I know what he was going through um to let him know that you know no matter what anybody says it's going to get better it don't and um just just me giving him that those few those few words and and the encouragement of just being there for him as always um and and he trusted to me and know that I had already been through that um and that's why we have so much respect for each other for you flesh how much is is Shadrick in your mind today he's with me you know uh I'm doing everything um the way that he would want me to do do it um the way that you know he would want me to um have the entire family here um he would want to be here um so you know he's always with me um obviously you know he's tattooed on my forearm so he's always with me and U you know I know he's appreciating that and he's probably got his St his chest stuck out right now how proud of it he is of his little brother his little big brother I'm sure um favorite memories Super Bowl and and winning awards are there are there any moments that maybe people wouldn't be you know know what happens behind the scenes that you really will stick with you when you look back upon your career uh I mean there's so many moments that's going to stick with me you know um obviously um we've always had a great locker room you know I've always likeed you know kicking in with the boys in the locker room you know hanging out you know know between meetings and practice um after practice you know just things like that those are I think that's the biggest part that that I'll miss you know being able to you know go around and joke around with adults all the time and at the same time we got a job to do um you know um when we go to practice and also you know getting ready for a game is the Hall of Fame something you spent any time thinking about and would that mean a lot to you I think me and how just talked about that I got to get into Eagles Hall of Fame first so that might help me but obviously yeah that's something that I think about you know you know apparently you know it's it's it's all in everybody else hands right now but you know hopefully uh you know one day um you know few years from now is uh putting on a gold jacket and I'll be looking forward to it and I'll have the same exact family here and that we all be celebrating how early in your career fled did you realize you were that level of player uh I think probably after my after I made like my first Pro Bowl uh I didn't the year I should have made it I didn't which always happened and the second year I went on and to make six straight uh so you know at that point I feel like I could be a really dominant player and you know obviously a lot of people just kind of you know some games I would just take over the game and then I realize like man like I I can be really really good at this you know um so so yeah you uh at what point in your career did you realize the impact that you had on the city the team you could see your impact come back here at least realize that how much you meant to the um I realized that like you know at the point where um when I was in the room um it was I when I was the guy right when I was I was kind of had to be the leader in the room um and then you know and that and my attitude had to affect you know everybody else around me um but the city um had an effect on the city I mean I think honestly like year five four or five you know I kind of B on the radar a few years and had a excuse me had a had some solid years but you know then I just the biggest thing for me was just stay assistant and just continue to get better Kelsey mentioned he he played with very few players that would succeed regardless of scheme or philosophy or coaching and you were one of them um did The Game come easy for you what time uh I mean I wouldn't say it never it never came easy um I had a teammate uh who's now head coaching NFL Deo Ry and he his words to me is you don't let a scheme reflect what kind of player you are he said great players find a way and that always stuck with me do matter what gamee we was in um do matter where they told me to play Four technique um you know two ey three technique move to a five it don't matter you know he said that don't you don't let that determine what kind of player you are and he said you just go out and D they and do your thing and they'll find a way for you but you thank the video guys and there have been some moments in your career where you miked up and it's all was entertainment and uh fans have really responded to some of the moments when you're miked up and you and BG are having those moments a who's going to keep BG in line without you there and then B uh what is it like to be on the field with him for as long as you are and when he's like that I think we have to give Big D a mic big Dom going to keep him in check you know or you know put like a buzz or something on him every time you start talking just buzz them and it vibrates so career U right now I was just um just taking some time to myself right now you know um that's the biggest thing obviously everybody know I'm I'm a I'm a Rancher not a farmer uh but I I do a little ranching and you know honestly um just making a slow transition to to to to life you know um and you know hopefully you know I mean obviously I'll be back around here you know um a lot um just trying to still help help younger guys just develop um and you know just work on their game but um but in the meantime I'm just you know having some peace um and again I get to go enjoy watching my nieces and nephews play sports um and grow up and I'm really looking forward to that have you spoken to any of your former teammates who have retired about what it's like to make that transition and what so what kinds of advice have they share with you just don't get in the rush um you know you know some guys you know obviously me and TR are really really close um and you know and TR say hey man like you take your time you know you do what you need to to do take your time make sure you have a clear mind making sure you have that slower transition to to to to life right cuz things are going to be different you know um I have a lot more free time you know um and and and and and to be smart what whichever decisions you're making as if you if you were still playing because obviously your name is still attached to the NFL because it was still you get in trouble it's still going to come up as formal Eagles you know player or whatever but just being smart you know making a slow transition um you know whether it's you know moving south staying here or just you know just figuring it out you think back to the 21y old team not in 2012 how are you different now uh a lot different you know obviously um you know just just growing up and and having to become a young man um a lot quicker than than you know than I had to be um because obviously it was a I was a professional football player at the age of 21 right so at that point you know I try to give advice to a lot of a lot of lot of the young players say like you're not in college anymore um and you know you just you know have to take that advice from them from your your your peers obviously and uh you know just be smart about any decisions that you make FL in two weeks and two days the Eagles will make another first round pick what advice would you have to that person walking in in Philadelphia first time uh come humble and ready to work because it's not easy here got to have thick skin U the media is you know the fans love you media love you but you know the biggest part is is you know making sure you come in with a clear mind you know a humble mind and and be around be ready to be around some really really good teammates and good coaching again I want to thank everybody that showed up coaches my family everybody hoe thank [Applause] y'all