LINEBACKER LAVONTE DAVID

Opening Statement:

"I just want to start off by saying God is amazing. Fourteen years of playing football…To come to this moment, I never thought I'd be in this situation, I never thought I'd be here. Growing up, playing the game of football at six years old, I always did it for the fun of it – did it for the love of it – never cared about what came with it, just because it was [ingrained] in me a different way. The way it brings joy to people's lives, the way I can impact people's lives…My 14-year career was a journey. It was a long road to get here. Starting at Liberty City Optimist, going to Miami Northwestern and then going to junior college – that's when I didn't think I'd get here, just because of everything I went through there. It was a tough journey, but there I learned what it takes to become accountable and I learned that a lot of people depend on you. Going to the University of Nebraska, I kept that chip, kept that same mindset. Throughout every year that I've been here, I've had that same mentality – have that chip on my shoulder. Every time I step on the field, I want to prove myself right and all my doubters wrong. A lot of people in this building, a lot of guys I see, my family, helped me continue that dream, helped me continue that process. I want to thank everybody throughout my journey, throughout my career, for pushing me and helping me be the greatest I can be. To play at an organization for this long and to get all of the respect that I have from everybody and all my peers and the lives that I touched throughout my career, it's something you can [only] dream of…

I might get a little emotional because that's how I always get when I talk about my parents…Everybody has parents, but you don't understand how much they meant to me. Growing up where I grew up, it [isn't] easy. It [isn't] easy, but they found a way for me. You don't understand that until you get older, until you have kids of your own…The sacrifices they made for you, the things they did for you. Thinking about my dad [and] the sacrifices he made – he was never the breadwinner in our family, but for some reason, him and my mom made it work. Their relationship lasted for so long. When you saw how they [were] compatible with each other and how they made our lives easier…We had one car, and my mom took the car to work. My dad used to take me to practice on his handlebars on a bike. We used to walk sometimes. As a kid, you'd be like, 'Dang, man, that walk was a far walk,' but you realize that it was a sacrifice that you've got to make to help your son's and your kid's dreams come true. They did it. There was a point in my career when my mom passed away in 2016 [where] I didn't care about football [anymore] and I didn't want to play [anymore]. I didn't care for it anymore. I wanted to just give it up because honestly I didn't have a reason [any] more. I was doing everything I was doing because I wanted to make all her dreams come true because she helped me make my dreams come true the day that I got drafted. From then on, I was just working to make her life easier and make her life happy. The day that she passed away, I thought I had lost it all. Luckily, I had friends and family – Gerald [McCoy] was one of those guys that came to my side because he had [gone] through that early in his football journey. He helped me get through it. My siblings…I'm the youngest of six. My other two sisters weren't able to make it today. Of the ones we had in my household, I was the youngest. My oldest brother, [Edward Nelson], is right here. My other brother Jerode is right there. My sister [Shanterra Barnett]…They made my life so easy. Like I said, they protected me. They went through all of the bad things before it got to me. My oldest brother, he took all the beatings from my daddy before it was my time. My sister, she took the chewing out from my mom and dad. My brother right here, Jerode, he was more of the knucklehead, they kind of took it easy on him a little bit…By the time they got to me, they were old and tired so I was okay. It was just an incredible moment growing up in a house full of people who support you and love you and genuinely want to see you live out your dreams. Every big moment, that's why I always have them here with me, because they were with me every step of the way.

My little league coaches, all of those guys, my high school coaches, my college coaches – everybody who played a huge part in my career – I want to salute you and I want to take my hat off to you guys and let you know that I love [you] dearly. Coach 'B.A.' (Bruce Arians) and Coach [Todd] Bowles – there was another point in my career where there was another coaching change coming and I thought it might be a changing of the guard or a cleaning-house situation, but Jason [Licht] and those guys reached out to me and told me, 'Nah, man, we want you to be a part of this and this is going to turn around and we're going to do it for you.' When they said that, I was like, 'Dang, for me? Y'all want me to be a part of this?' I was like, 'I don't know, it's a whole new scheme, Coach [Todd] Bowles is coming with a 3-4 system, I've played in a 4-3 my whole career…I don't know how to adjust to that.' They told me, 'You're going to have fun. Trust me, you're going to love it.' I just remember telling Coach [Todd] Bowles the first meeting, 'Yeah, yeah, this is what I like to do right here. I appreciate it. I think I'm going to have fun in this.' Him and those guys helped me have fun with the game again and it shows every time I'm out there on the field. I see some of the guys – some of my old teammates in here right now – I hope you guys know that I greatly appreciate you guys and you guys [brought] joy to me every time I stepped on the field. To be able to live up to not only my standards but the standards you guys hold me to…That's what I really love. Y'all boys held me accountable from the jump. That's something that I really appreciate about you guys. [Keith] Tandy held me accountable since our first conditioning test with Coach [Greg] Schiano. You know how that was. That was crazy, but that's a story for another time. I thank those guys too – Mark Dominik, Greg Schiano. Obviously, the Glazer family, you guys helped a kid from Miami's dreams come true. I thank you guys big time for that and it's greatly appreciated. My family appreciates you guys. Like I always say, it comes from the bottom of my heart, I can't thank you guys enough.

With all of that being said, my 14-year career has come to an end. I feel it's time to move on and find a different path in life, mainly being a dad to that amazing little girl over there. She's changed my life so much. People always talk about, 'Man, you need to have a daughter. You need to have a daughter.' You never understand it. I'm like, 'Why do you want me to have a daughter so bad?' Being a masculine man, you want to have a son. I want a son so he can follow in my footsteps and so I can help him become a man…Little did I know that having a girl helped me become a man – having to understand what's important in life. She definitely does that daily. I'm thankful. I'm sure she [doesn't] understand right now, but when she looks back, she'll see. It's an incredible journey, an incredible time in my life, to be able to raise her to be an incredible young woman and be the best person in the world and be kind, be generous, be loving and be caring to people you come across. I see it in her already. I just hope that I can continue to do that.

Thank you guys so much. I love the Krewe forever. The fans, you guys are amazing, you guys are incredible. You guys [were] always my motivation. You guys [helped] wake me up in the morning to keep me going to be able to play the game at a high level for this long – you guys were a part of that. I thank you guys dearly for that, as well. Trust me, this thing around here is going to continue to get better and continue to get greater. At the end of the day, I will always be a Buccaneer. As always, it's Bucs for life."

(On what the process will be like for him to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame)

"Oh man, I don't know how the Hall of Fame works or anything like that, but I know the process will probably be long. I know [there are] a lot of accolades that [go] into deciding what you do to get inside the Hall of Fame and stuff like that, but I've never been one to brag and boast, I let all my play and stuff do the talking and to add to that, my numbers do the talking. When I'm out on the field, I make an impact any way I can and I hope someday they do decide if they do decide to vote me in, they could see that. It was something that I never strived for -- like I said, man, I genuinely love the game of football and whatever comes with it just came with it, but if that's apart of it, I will definitely take that smiling."

(On reflecting on his final game)

"It was a fun game to be apart of [because of] just what was at stake. The tackle record, that was in the back of my mind, obviously, and what could have happened in the future. Unfortunately, outside of that, things didn't go the way we wanted to go, but my whole thing was to play my heart out no matter what. That's just my M.O; every time I'm out there on the field, these guys in here know how I am. They count on me to be at my best. It's just a standard that they hold me to and a standard that I hold myself to. Each time I prepare I try to prepare that I am at my best -- that I play my best, full effort, and I never want those guys to question whether I played my best or not. Whether that's from my very first game or my very last game, I always wanted to go out the same way I came in, just trying to be my best on the field."

(On what ultimately led to his decision it is time to retire)

"It was extremely tough, obviously, I was going back and forth with it for a very long time. Luckily, I have nobody in my camp that kind of pressured me into making decisions, from both sides, family and the organization. They gave me a little time to just think things through and just figure out what I want to do, what I want to genuinely want to do. I just felt it was time. Like I said, I never dreamt of playing 14 years in the NFL; I never dreamt of playing 14 years with one organization. It's been an incredible journey. I felt like it was just time for me to move on and let the next generation take over, and move on and find my next passion, my next endeavor. When I got into the league, this was all I was focused on, just football, football, football, and it got to a point where it's just like people would ask me, 'What's your hobby?' I would say, 'I only [have] one hobby and that's to play football.' That's something that kind of dawned on me too. I just [have] to figure out my own life, my own path, and kind of go from there."

(On having a picture of his mother on his locker and what it means to him)

"[It is] definitely a source of comfort and inspiration. I always look at that picture and say to myself, 'Just keep going, keep striving, keep making her proud.' Like you said, that's the first thing I look at every time I look at my locker and that's just what it brings. For me to continue playing and for me to continuing to try and play this game at a high level I know I'm making her proud and know her sacrifices don't [become] null and void. She's one of those people who always was supportive, always was proud and I could always hear her say, 'That's my baby!' Even as a grown man, calling me her baby and we had that type of relationship -- I acted like a baby when I was around her too. Every time I came home, the first place I had to go was her house. I remember they were trying to throw a surprise party for me. My sister can tell you this, they were trying to throw a surprise party for me after dinner, and they were trying to get me to go to a restaurant and I was like, 'No, I [have] to go to my momma's house first. I [haven't] been to my momma's house yet,' and she said, 'Boy, she's going to be there, just go to the restaurant first.' I was like, 'No, I [have] to go to my momma's house first, what are you talking about,' and I come to find out she's apart of the surprise too. That's just how close of a relationship we had. It was at that point in my career it was just tough to deal with, as anybody would go through just losing a parent. But with just how impactful she was for me and what she meant to me, [there was no point] just to go out there and not prove her happy because that's what who I wanted to do it for, but luckily my dad at the time and my family was kind of still like my motivation and still pushing me. I just had to find a different passion and a different motivation and I was able to find it -- it was for those guys. To just see how proud of me they were, I was like, 'Yeah, I still [have] to keep doing this, man. I still [have] people who root for me.' I still have people back at home who root for me and want to see me succeed, I know I still [have] to have that drive."

(On if he has thought about what he will do after football)

"Yeah, different things came across my mind. Like I said, I love the game, I still want to be apart of the game. I still want to do things as apart of the game. Maybe it's broadcasting, maybe it's scouting, maybe it's coaching, I don't know for sure yet, but [there] may be some things I venture into. The good Lord has blessed me to take a little time off to be able to think about that, so I'm not really tripping about that. I'm definitely going to unwind a little bit. I've been playing football since I was six years old. Six years old and I never took a year off, it was basically 30 years of playing football. So, I think I owe myself a little time to chill and enjoy life a little bit."

(On what moments during his career were the most impactful for him)

"I think the main thing is going through those tough seasons, building my character, building my passion, building my drive, understanding that it means a lot to me. A lot of people going through those times would fold quickly, just turn into [jerks] and just fall off. My drive and my passion was different. I like to say I'm built different. I always want to prove people wrong. Going through those times, I used to see all the message boards and all of the down-talking and all of the naysayers and all of the people with the trash bags over their heads and stuff like that, that was my motivation, that was my drive. I think going through that right there kind of drove me to play my hardest and kind of shut people up and thank God I got a chance to do that by winning the Super Bowl and I'm going to ride with that for a very long time."

(On what he will miss the most)

"You can look around, man, I'm going to miss these guys, honestly. The players, the coaches who I built a relationship with, the staff, everybody who is in here, they are in here for a reason. I touched their lives in some type of way and they touched mine. The relationship we built over the years with these people is incredible. That is just how I always am. I'm always trying to be kind, always try to others feelings above mine and I just try to impact peoples' lives just as much as they impact mine. I don't look at it as just a job for them, this is real-life, genuine relationship. When you see these people around, it shows that they've been here to support me and it will be the same way oppositely, I support them the same way. Some people in here, I'm in contact with their kids lives outside of football, outside of the building. I check up on people from time-to-time. I reach out to see how their kids are doing and stuff like that -- see how they are doing. I get reminders about peoples' birthdays to make sure I am on point to tell people happy birthday who I am close with. Everybody is in here for a reason and my dad used to always say, 'It takes nothing to be kind to people. You never know what people are going through.' That is something that I just live by and it stuck to me. I remember when he was in the hospital going through what he was going through, and the nurse came in and she looked like she was frustrated or whatever and he was like, 'Hey, put a smile on your face. Everything is going to be better, everything is going to be great.' I'm just listening to him talking and after she left I was like, 'How could you do that and you're going through everything you're going through?' And he said it just like this, 'I don't give a damn about what I'm going through, I just want to make sure everybody around me is alright.' That right there meant so much to me and that's what made him who [he is] and the reason why I love him so much."

(On staying with the Buccaneers for his entire career and how much it means to him to finish career with the organization)

"They wouldn't let me go. I'm joking man, for real man it's just I built so many great relationships here. A lot of people, like I just said, touched them, a lot of people who I built relationships here kind of impacted me in different ways. I couldn't just up-and-leave, when I start a battle I want to finish the battle. I always say things get greater later and that indeed it did. I'm thankful for the Glazers, the Bucs, [General Manager] Jason [Licht], [Head] Coach [Todd] Bowles, Coach 'B.A.' (Bruce Arians), those guys wanted me to stick around and wanted me to be around to help continue to mold this program into what they want to be. I think I was a big part of getting the job done. As you can see, we [have] guys in this auditorium who -- Tristan Wirfs, Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee [Smith] -- my little bro -- 'Nelly' (Anthony Nelson), guys like that who are kind of the foundation of what it takes to be a Buccaneer. I know guys who I played with in the past, 'Donny' (Donovan Smith), Gerald [McCoy], those guys, 'JPP' (Jason Pierre-Paul) who is not here, but I talked to him before we got here. Those guys are people who I want to be around, people who I want to build with, people who I want to win with. Those guys can tell you I'd do anything for them. It's just something about sticking with what you started with and it takes you a long way. That's just something that, like I said, something that I never dreamed of and it ended up happening, but I represent it with pride."

(On knowing that his legacy around the building and "draft criteria" will be held in high regard)

"It's incredible, man. Like I said, you look around and you see the guys who we [have], the dogs that we [have], guys who I would take the field with any day. I won't mind walking through a dark alley with those guys regardless. It's incredible, I found out a couple of years ago when I was doing my signing and [General Manager] Jason [Licht] talked about it and it just kind of caught me off-guard like, 'What? That's what y'all go by?' That kind of made me straighten up even more, I [have] to walk on eggshells around here now. That goes to show what future holds for the organization. Winning football, underdog mentality, go out there and every game play like it's your last. You [have] guys in here who are going to do that and I know that for a fact because if you didn't have those guys, I wouldn't be preparing to retire. I just know this organization is going to be in a great place and I know guys around are going to be able to lead this organization to the promised land."

(On what it would mean for him to be inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor)

"Amazing, it would be great guys. It would be great to be in that -- like I said, right now football is it, I [have] a chance to kind of just reflect and think about the things I may have accomplished and people may see that is deemed successful playing football. I think it's a good resume, I will say, I think it's a solid resume, and I think if the Glazers will have me, I will gladly accept."

(On what he hopes is said about his legacy)

"I get this question a lot, but I will be trying to find the right words to say for it because it means so much. It's a really real question, but it's honestly an easy answer. When I look around, my legacy I would say touched a lot of people in a good way and in a positive way. I feel as though when I came into this league, when I came to this organization, I wanted to be the best football player I can be, but it turned out the main thing was to be the best person I can be. Like I said, I built so many friendships with so many people in here and that's something that I am really, really happy about. I know for a fact once I leave this building, there's nobody in here that can't call my phone and we can talk and we can talk anytime. That's something that I am the most proud of, besides the football-side. I feel like the football stuff speaks for itself, but for me to actually come into the organization, be here for 14 years, for them to accept me and accept my family, for them to be able to not look at me as just a football player, but look at me as a friend. That's the thing I am most proud of and for everybody in here. Like I always say, so thank you all, you all gave me a reason to come into this building and smile and be able to be happy. You all know every time I come in here I was happy to to be here, happy to throw jokes around with you guys, happy to give you guys a hard time sometimes, but at the end of the day, it was all out of love. From the training staff to the strength staff to the ticket staff, from the grounds people, from the front office side, to especially the media side, y'all know how I am with y'all, from the weight room staff, from everybody, man. From the film crew, the equipment staff, everybody played a pivotal role in my life and I am definitely thankful and grateful for y'all because y'all are such great people and I love being around great people and y'all make me a great person and I am thankful for that."

-BUCCANEERS-