Vince Wilfork relishes his foundation

Vince Wilfork has been in a reflective and introspective mood recently. The reason has nothing to do with football. The Patriots [team stats] nose tackle is coming up on the 10th anniversary of his father’s passing.

It hits him this time of year, when he throws his annual draft day fundraiser benefitting the Joslin Diabetes Center and Diabetes Research Institute.

Last week, he was telling his kids stories about grandpa, and sharing conversations with his wife, Bianca, about his late father David, who died after a lengthy battle with the disease. Mostly, he thinks about what he’s become since his father passed and his mother Barbara died six months later of complications following a stroke. A decade is a pretty long time.

“In 10 years, what have I learned? What have I seen?” Wilfork said rhetorically in a phone interview with the Herald last week. “So many things have gone on. Different people have come in and out of my life. My father always said, ‘You have one life to live. You have to live it to the fullest. So you have to enjoy your life while you’re here.’ I think about that every day.”

Wilfork knows he was taught well by both of his parents. His father would be proud of how Vince and Bianca have turned the fundraiser into such a worthy event and have raised a ton of money. They’re so passionate about the cause, and making the event better each and every year.

While diabetes research is close to Wilfork’s heart, the event is also important for other reasons. It’s an opportunity for fans to get to know the Pats defensive lineman outside of the football arena. And again, Wilfork heeds his father’s advice of living for the day, living for the moment.

“One thing I want to get out of this, I want the fans to be happy. That’s my main thing. I want them to get a chance to interact with me. To see me as Vince Wilfork [stats] the father, Vince Wilfork the husband, Vince Wilfork the friend. Not Vince Wilfork the football player,” he said. “I think sometimes people see me on TV and automatically assume something. Then, when they meet me, they see I’m a regular person. I go to the grocery store. I shop. I don’t need nobody to shop for me; I do all that myself. That’s what I want people to get out of this. I think that’s why every year (the event) grows. I want them to see me as a person. That way, they’ll really get to understand who I am.”

Sure, the burly nose tackle who routinely occupies two defenders, and makes plays in the trenches with a violent sense of authority has a much different off-field persona. He’s mild-mannered and smiles constantly.

“I don’t argue much. I don’t dwell over petty stuff much,” Wilfork said. “I just shrug off stuff. I try to be stress-free. You can’t be stressed out all the time. You can’t kill yourself worrying about stuff weeks from now.”

That’s the same philosophy he applied to the Super Bowl loss. Wilfork didn’t let that fester for too long. He knew he had to forge ahead. It’s also Bill Belichick’s preferred method.

“Whatever the outcome may be in life, it is what it is. The only thing you can do is be the best person you can be,” he said. “Be the best father, be the best husband, be the best friend, be the best teammate.

“I’m not one to sit back and dwell over wins or losses. That’s just something I don’t do. Life is too short. No matter how great I played, or how crappy I played. Right now, I’m getting ready for next (season). Last year don’t matter. I attack each day like that.”

After sitting back, and looking over the past 10 years, Wilfork believes his father would approve of and appreciate the man he has become.

“Yeah, I really do. And trust me, I’m not perfect. I’m not saying I’m perfect,” said Wilfork, who attended the Jaden’s Ladder “Bright Lights, Big City” charity event last night at the Ritz-Cartlton, “But I think he’d be proud . . . I treat people the way I want to be treated. I respect people. My father was big on respect. So I know he’s happy. He’d be smiling.”

For those interested in the April 26 draft-day fundraiser, which is being held at Pinz in Milford, you can get more information on tickets, sponsorship, and ways to donate by contacing CJ Yanofsky (cj@ksportsent.com ) at the Vince Wilfork Foundation. Donations may also be made online at vincewilfork75.com.


(bostonherald.com)