Opening Remarks: "I want to begin by giving honor to God. I'm so thankful. I want to thank (Chairman/CEO) Jeffrey (Lurie). Last night when I got a call from him, it was the last thing that I expected to hear. On behalf of my wife, Tommi, and my five children, Lower Bucks County, and Trenton, Mercer County, and the surrounding area, I'm overwhelmed to be considered one of the, I guess, the top players to ever put on an Eagles uniform. I'm generally not short of words, but I don't like and I'm not comfortable talking about myself. This is the ultimate honor, especially growing up 20 miles from Veterans Stadium. To be considered one of the finest young men to ever put on an Eagles uniform and to participate and play for the Eagles means a lot to myself and my family."
On his relationship with Eagles fans and coming back to be honored in front of them one more time: "That's what it was all about. Talk about being able to come back home and represent not just Philadelphia, but I would say the Eagles represent the whole Delaware Valley area. That 12th man was everything, and that's what I think about every Sunday. When we had home games back then, Brian Dawkins and I would look at each other every week before we came out and had kickoff, we would say, 'Let's give these people what they came here to see. Let's give them a show and let's perform.' Not only being a part of the community and growing up there, but then having the opportunity to play and produce, that's what it was all about. There's no greater 12th man. I know we don't have the best reputation nationally, but I wouldn't want to play for any other group of fans if I had a choice. Let me tell you something, they're passionate. I can't wait to go out and thank them one more time."
On his top memories of his time with the Eagles: "The one that stands out the most is when we went down and we beat up on Dallas. We put a roughin' on them the opening week. That's one of those memorable moments. I really had so many. Beating the Giants was always fun. I think we went out and I just always used to like pounding on those Giants. There were so many, and I had some great times there. We won a lot of football games, and it was fun. There were so many victories and hard fought battles that I was happy to be associated with. In eight years, a lot of good football was played."
On what he was doing when he got the call from Jeffrey Lurie: "I was in a cab, and the first thing I thought when I saw that number come up…I knew it was the Philadelphia Eagles organization. Frankly, my mind went to, 'What happened? What do we need to get done?' I didn't get a text from (head) coach (Andy) Reid, or (player services assistant) Karen (Gerstle) or (director of player services) Harold Carmichael. I was just thinking that there's a player issue or there was an appearance that they wanted me to speak at. My first response when I learned it was him was, 'Is everything OK?' He laughed and said, 'Everything's fine. I just want to welcome you and congratulate you on being our newest inductee.' Literally, what do you say?
"All night long, it has just been a reflection because I truly have put football in the rearview mirror and it's now about my children and supporting them, and it's not about what I did. To be acknowledged by the owner, and for him to say that I am an example of the way they want the players to represent themselves on and off the field. You think about the short list of individuals that have been honored. As I said, there were a lot of emotions last night. I usually leave the crying for Brian (Dawkins), but it made me think about the three most influential men in my life that I wish they could hear what Jeffrey told me last night.
"They are my grandfather, Jefferson Vincent, there is James Bodley, who was part of the reason I came back to Philly, and there was Jim Dundala, who was my high school coach. If it weren't for him coming to me my junior year and saying that he thinks I'd be a good football player and that I should come out for the football team, I wouldn't be here having this conversation. I wish that they could hear, see, and take part of what they helped develop."
On how he hopes fans will remember him and the teams he played on: "I would hope that the fans during that time, the ones who were there and actually watched us play, can say we played hard and competed every week. We gave the fans something to be proud of as they walked out of the stadium, whether it was Veterans Stadium or the Linc, or when they walked away from their TV sets that evening when we were on the road, that we fought and they were proud of us certainly on the field, but also in the community. We spent time over at CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) and all of the Playground Builds. That's what it's about.
"I hope they can take away from it that this group, from that era, can look back and say that we had the Reggie Whites and the Eric Allens and that group, but at the end of the day, I was part of the greatest secondary ever to put on a Philadelphia Eagles uniform with Bobby Taylor, Brian Dawkins, Al Harris. We were a good group, this group. As for myself personally, (I hope) I played the game as it was expected of me to play it, as a professional. I was in the lineup every Sunday and I did what was asked of me to do and what the coaches asked me to do. I was a tough, gritty player that played well against the run and well against the pass. I was a complete player."
