On an Instagram post Monday, New England Patriots fullback James Develin announced his retirement due to unforeseen complications from an injury he suffered that ended his season last September.
Develin, 31, was a pivotal part of the Patriots offense especially in their run game. Alot of the success New England had in 2018-19 when they won their sixth Super Bowl title was in large part due to the blocking ability of Develin. A backup plan is already in place as the team has signed former Green Bay Packers fullback Danny Vitale in free agency, and also drafted tightend Dalton Keene who is a great blocker and could also take snaps at fullback if need be.
Develin was placed on injured reserve after the neck injury that happened in late September 2019. In 15 career NFL games the fullback rushed 15 times for 26 yards and five touchdowns with four of those scores coming in 2018. The 6 foot 3, 255 pounder played college football at Brown University as a defensive end, and also spent time with the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of the Arena Football League, the Cincinnati Bengals, and Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. Below is part of statement from his announcement Monday. The full statement can be read on his Instagram page.
“Due to unforeseen complications with the injury that ended my season last year, I have decided it is both in my and my family’s best interest to retire from the game of football. I’ve always maintained a belief that in sport, the team is much more important than myself as an individual, and that belief still rings true, as I have to prioritize my team at home before anything else.”
