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Bill Belichick gets special shout out in David Andrews' retirement speech

FOXBOROUGH — As David Andrews fought back tears repeatedly over the course of an 11-minute retirement speech, there were plenty of people the long-time Patriots center wanted to thank. One was his former coach, Bill Belichick, who signed Andrews as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and opened the door to an NFL career. Under Belichick's tutelage, Andrews rose from roster long-shot to two-time Super Bowl champion and was an eight-time team captain. Advertisement 'Coach Belichick, thank you for giving me the opportunity I so desperately wanted in this league,' Andrews said. 'I learned more about this game from you than anyone has ever taught me. And to all my coaches here in New England during my 10-year career, thank you for all the time and sacrifices you all made to make sure we were ready to go each and every Sunday. 'You all always demanded our best and challenged us each and every week. The details were important, and they mattered. That is something I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.' Andrews also thanked owner Robert Kraft and his family, the people behind the scenes at Gillette Stadium, all of his Patriots teammates, and was particularly emotional when addressing his family, who watched from the front row. Andrews raved about the sacrifices his wife, Mackenzie, made for him, and spoke directly to his two young boys, Ford and Worth. As he wrapped up his retirement speech after 10 years in the New England organization, the center concluded his speech by addressing the game of football itself. Advertisement 'This game has given me so much over the last 26 years,' Andrews said. 'I've met some amazing people, been places I'd never imagined, and done things I'd never dreamed of. You've taught me so much about myself and life, while letting me get to play a child's game and call it a job. You've been so good to me and I think I've been pretty good to you. 'If there's any parents on the fence about letting your kids play the game, I promise you, you won't regret it. There's no better teacher of the game of life than the game of football. I wouldn't change one thing about my 26 years playing this game, but it's time to say goodbye. As (the Bible) says in 2 Timothy 4:7, 'I fought the good fight, I finished the race, and I have kept the faith.' Thank you all.' More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.