NFL Will Miss Steve Weatherford, One of the Most Badass Punters of All Time

It’s very likely, if not 100 percent certain quite yet, that we will never see punter Steve Weatherford on an NFL field again. And that saddens me. 

Weatherford is one of the most badass special teams players of all time. He has spent a decade in the NFL, and in Super Bowl XLVI against the Patriots, he set a Super Bowl record with three punts inside the 10 (and almost had a fourth). In 2010, while with the Jets, he tied the record for most punts inside the 20 with 42.

There was that tremendous talent, and there was also serious weightlifting. That’s where some of the badassery comes in. He’s 6’2″, weighs 230 pounds and can squat almost 500 pounds.

And this is where my recent story on Weatherford begins. In the gym. 

I had gotten Weatherford on the phone.

“If you don’t mind long pauses or grunts, we can definitely talk,” he said.

This was the first interview I’d ever conducted with a player while he lifted weights. But like I said, Weatherford is a badass.

We were talking about his future and possible retirement and…

There was grunting and sudden silence.

“Three more,” I heard.

He meant “three more reps.” Weatherford, I think, was on the bench.

Weatherford wouldn’t say for certain that he’s retired, but it seems that way. He isn’t the big-announcement type. For all of his punter-y flair, he’s a humble, normal guy. Plus, he knows that this summer, as he watches training camp news from the comfortable perch of retirement, he can’t promise that the gravitational …

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