David Andrews included a unique thank-you in his retirement speech

Longtime New England Patriots center David Andrews was emotional on Monday as he officially announced his retirement from the NFL after a 10-year career. Andrews was visibly emotional as he spoke during a ceremony held at Gillette Stadium that included current and former Patriots coaches and players in attendance.

"When I knew this day was coming, I was thinking about what I wanted to say. As you can see, there’s a lot of emotions. The one that kept sticking out to me was gratitude," Andrews opened.

Andrews began by thanking the Patriots organization (saying he didn't want to play for another team), the Kraft family, Bill Belichick, the support staff in the organization, as well as the fans and the New England community. He continued with more personal thank-yous, with his family - his parents, wife, and kids were all in attendance - former coaches from youth football to the University of Georgia, his agents, and former teammates from all levels.

To close out his speech Andrews included one final thank you.

"And lastly, the game of football," he said. "This game has given me so much over the last 26 years. I’ve met some amazing people, been places I’ve never imagined and done things I’ve 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 this game, I promise you, you won’t regret it," he continued. "There is 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 it says in 2 Timothy 4: 7, I fought the good fight, I finished the race, and I’ve kept the faith. Thank you all.”

Among the things Andrews said he'll miss most about the game, he mentioned the physicality on the field and the relationships he built on and off of it.

"I’m going to miss the physicality part of it. I’m going to miss doing something hard, waking up every day to go reach for a goal that’s unattainable, and try to be perfect, and you’re never going to be perfect, but that’s what you’re trying to do every single day," Andrews said. "There’s something about that that’s special. But also, at the end of the day, there’s a lot of bright side to it. The hits and everything else were taking its toll on me. Obviously, last year didn’t go the way I wanted it to go. I decided to get healthy and spend more time with my family, try golf again, still trying, and then go from there.”

"Another part of this game that makes it so special is the relationships you form," Andrews answered to a different question. "The games are awesome, they’re great, and there’s nothing like competing and physically putting your hands on another person, and all that part of the game. But I think I'll miss the relationships being in a - there’s nothing like a locker room. You can’t recreate it."

"Like I said, when a group of guys come together and think less about themselves and more about a bigger goal or team, that’s something very special, and you really don’t find it in the world a lot of times," he continued. "So, I think the relationships will be the hardest part. I think that’s what makes it so emotional, is that side of it.”

With that passion for the game, will Andrews stay around the game as a coach? He was asked about that, but said he doesn't plan on doing so, at least right way.

"I don’t think coaching is something I’m ready to jump into right now," he said. "[Football] has been a long, big part of my life, and I’d like to see what else is out there before I get into that and decide there. I've got these two young boys and being around them and carpooling them around and doing whatever needs to be done is kind of my main focus now and spending time with them and my wife and do things that I probably didn’t allow us to do during football.”

Andrews' love of the game is part of what made him such a popular player in New England. he started off his speech saying he wanted to express his gratitude, and his appreciation and respect for the game of football came through loud and clear.