Vince Wilfork may be retired. But the new stars of the NFL are still in his sightline.
The former New England Patriots' Hall of Famer went off on the latest crop of NFL stars in an interview with NBC Sports Boston this week, claiming that an aura of privilege defines the gridiron stars of the 2020s.
"This new era of football, these kids feel entitled," Wilfork said on "Early Edition." "It started in college. You've got all this mess going on in college, you're taken care of as a college player, and then you get to the league, and now all of a sudden you want the same treatment. But you have to realize, the shield, it ain't college. You have to prove yourself at this level."
Wilfork's comments come as his former employers' season ended on a wave of controversy as rookie defender Jack Jones reportedly engaged in verbal sparring with head coach Bill Belichick. The subsequent suspension hovered over the final stages of an ultimately futile playoff push, marring what was a strong freshman campaign for the fourth-round rookie.
That's a swift departure from Wilfork's 13-year NFL career (2004-16), where all but his final two seasons were spent with Belichick's Patriots. Such insubordination was unheard of during his time among the Flying Elvises, which yielded two Super Bowl titles and five personal Pro Bowl nominations.
The Jones situation, Wilfork remarked, is part of a larger issue.
"I've never seen anybody talk back to Bill," Wilfork remarked. "As a leader and as a captain, of course we'll have conversations about things that we might not like, but that's behind closed doors, and it's not us challenging Bill. It was us trying to get a better understanding of what's going on. But as far as talking back to a coach, no, you don't do that."
Wilfork's comments echo those made by another New England defensive legend on another New England sports mainstay, WEEI. Former secondary dweller Ty Law hinted that a combination of inflated paychecks across the NFL, some of them instantly bestowed to them upon their NFL entry, and social media's expansion of soapboxes might be one of the reasons why the lauded Belichick may not command as much respect as he previously did.
"I will say today’s player has a little more swag to them I guess,” Law said. "They go out there and say their own peace through the social media. They can get their version out. A lot of guys are getting paid so much money to where they don’t care. So, I think the level of respect may not be there as much."
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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