The longest tenured New England Patriot, Matthew Slater has played in the NFL since 2008 as both a special teamer and wide receiver. In 2011, during his third season with the Patriots, Slater was voted by his teammates to be the Special Teams Captain. One year later, in 2012, Slater resigned another three-year contract with the Patriots, was selected to be the team's player representative to the NFL Player's Association and was selected to the Pro Bowl - going on to win All-Pro for the lone AFC special teamer position. In 2017, Slater was identified and awarded the Bart Starr Award, which is given to a player who exemplifies character and leadership on and off the field. In 2020, Slater resigned with the Patriots once more and became the longest standing active member of the team.

In this video, Slater discusses challenges, injuries, and the mental toughness an athlete needs to have in order to overcome this type of challenge. Slater talks about finding ways to stay motivated, fighting through the pain and how these moments will make an athlete stronger in the long run.