Kurt Warner Retirement Press Conference - Ingles

Warner Opening Remarks:

“First of all, let me thank everyone for coming; thank everyone who’s watching out there in TV land. I’m not on the drama part of it as most of you know. So, as I’m sure many of you expect, I’m here to announce my retirement from the National Football League. Obviously, it has been 12 unbelievable years, 12 of the best years of my life. But I want everybody to know that I’m just as excited about the next 12. I’m excited about what lies in front of me. I’m excited about spending more time with my family and seeing what God is going to do next. I know you guys are going to have a lot of questions about why I made the decision and maybe reflecting on my career, but since this is the last time that I’m going to be up here in this kind of setting and kind of be able to write my own script, I just want to take an opportunity to say thanks to some of the people that were instrumental throughout my career because there is no way I could be up on this stage without so many other people in this process. As always, as it started back in 1999 when I was up on a podium holding up a trophy, the first thing I want to do is give thanks to God. My Lord Jesus brought me here. I know He brought me here for a purpose. It has been an amazing ride. I don’t think I could have dreamt that it would have played out like it has, but I have been humbled everyday that I’ve woken up the last 12 years and amazed that God would choose me to do what He’s given me the opportunity to do over 12 years. It’s not just the things that I’ve been able to do on the football field; not the successes, and the Super Bowls, and the wins and the losses, but it’s also been the opportunities that He’s given me off the football field. To have opportunities to impact people. To speak into people’s lives. To build relationships with people that would have never happened if it were not for this game and the opportunities that He gave me. Often times when I come up to do my interviews after games, you guys always see me bring my bible. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from reading this thing is that it’s a bunch of stories about average, ordinary people where God came in and did something extraordinary with them. To me, that’s exactly what He did in my life. I was an average, ordinary guy, working in a grocery store trying to make ends meet playing Arena Football. Then, God entered the equation and he’s done something pretty extraordinary over the last 12 years. That’s where my thanks always begins. I know I’m here because God placed me here. I know that He has brought us here for a purpose. Although the 12 years and the part playing on the football field is over, I know that he has many things in store for us as we move forward. I thank Him for that.

The second group of people I want to thank are these eight people right in front of me. I knew this part was going to be the hardest part, but I want all of them to come up here on stage with me for a minute if they would. I want to give you guys an opportunity to meet them and I want to say a few things to them because this has been my lifeline for the last 12 years and will continue to be from this moment forward. They’ve been such a blessing to me. I want to introduce them to you first. Starting with my oldest son, Zachery, and his cool shirt right here; then my oldest daughter Jesse, my son Kade, my daughter Jada Jo, my son Elijah, and then my twin girls Sienna and Sierra. Then, obviously, my beautiful wife Brenda who you have all seen a million times. Really what I want to do is just thank these guys because they have been the reason I’ve been able to do what I do and do it at the level that I’ve been able to do it at. They’ve given me the opportunity to leave every morning to go play the game that I love, but there are a lot of sacrifices that go with that. If I didn’t have this family and this support, there’s no chance that I would get the opportunity to do that. They’ve encouraged me, and I’ve appreciated that. They’ve laughed at me at times when I’ve thrown four or five interceptions, and I’ve appreciated that. Every day I come home and it doesn’t matter if we won or lost, if I’ve thrown interceptions or thrown touchdowns. The one thing that I always knew is that when I entered our door, when I stepped into our house, that none of that mattered to these guys. I can’t tell you what a blessing that is as a football player because there is so much that goes on in our lives, there is so much that happens in the media, so many ups and downs, so many people that love you one day and hate you the next day. There’s nothing better than to be able to walk into your home and know that at least eight people there still love you every day no matter what you’ve done. No matter whether you’ve won or lost. To you guys, I just say I love you. I thank you. It’s been a fun ride and I look forward to the rest of our lives together. Thank you guys. You guys are awesome.

Next I want to say thank you to the three organizations that had a hand in my career. Obviously, the St. Louis Rams, Georgia Frontiere, and Stan Kroenke there who gave me my initial opportunity. To the New York Giants and the Mara family and the Tisch family there. And obviously here in Arizona the Bidwill family because without them, there would be no Kurt Warner. Without each one of them giving me an opportunity when no one else would. I think that’s one of the amazing things about this whole story is that it took three different teams taking a chance on me at three different times, in three different situations, to allow me to be standing up here and to have accomplish what I have accomplished. I want them to know, if they’re watching, or if somebody goes back and tells them, how much I appreciate each one of those organizations and what they did for me. I specifically want to thank the head coaches that were involved as well. Dick Vermeil, who gave me my initial opportunity, Mike Martz, Tom Coughlin, Denny Green who was here, and also coach Whiz (Ken Whisenhunt) who is standing over here, because again it took those five men giving me an opportunity that no one else would, to allow me to be able to do what God has gifted me to do. I truly appreciate all of you guys and appreciate what you’ve done for me. I want to say thanks to my teammates. I know I have a few there in the back and hopefully a few more that are out there watching. I learned very early in this process that no one man has success without a lot of great men around him. I learned as a quarterback that you can never have success without great players around. I’ve been so fortunate over the years, no matter where I’ve been, to be surrounded by amazing players that have made my job easy. I get to go home and I’ll get to look at the record books and I’ll get to see videos of games that we played in and talk football for a long time. I know the only reason any of those things occurred is because I had amazing teammates. I really just want to thank them for giving me the opportunity to play with them, to get to know them. The one thing you know is that you’re always going to miss Sunday afternoons for a few hours, but my wife and I have talked about it, that the thing that you’re probably going to miss more than anything is the five, six hours a day you spend in that locker room with those guys. They become your extended family. Obviously, you go on road trips. You spend hours and hours with them getting to know them. That’s going to be the hardest thing to replace is to replace that time that I got to spend with my teammates and to replace those relationships that, although they’ll stay in contact, they won’t be the same degree, the same level, that I’ve had over the last 12 years. To all of my teammates, I greatly appreciate you. I thank you for everything and allowing me to come along with you guys and accomplish some of the great things that we’ve accomplished together.

Lastly, I want to say thank you to all of you out there. All of the media. To the fans. To everybody out there that has supported me over the years. I can’t say thank you enough for the way that you’ve respected me, respected what I believe in, the way I play the game, the way you supported me over the years because you see in this business that a lot of times it can go one way or another. Especially when it comes to the media, no offense guys, but you know that you can get a rap one side or the other. What I know in my 12 years is that the media has greatly respected me and treated me fairly in just about every situation that I can remember. I know that’s rare and it’s unique. I just want to say thank you to all of those out there that have treated me that way because it’s made it fun, it’s made it enjoyable. I’ve enjoyed being able to be me and to represent what I think is most important. Everybody out there has respected that. The fans all across the country, wherever they may be, I just say thanks to you guys because we don’t get to do what we do without all of you guys supporting us and enjoying what we do. I thank you for supporting me, supporting my foundation, supporting my family for these last 12 years because it’s been incredible. We couldn’t have done it all without you.

The last thing I want to say—before we get into questions and answers—is the one thing I always want to leave people with when I thought about my career ending and getting to this point, is I wanted people to remember that anything is possible; that, with my story, with the way it came about, the fact that it took me so long to get here, is that I know there are a lot of people that gravitate to that part of it; that understand the struggles; that understand when it takes a little bit longer to try to achieve your goal; when there are moments that you want to give up and you question whether you should continue to follow your dream. I think that’s one of the reasons that God has placed me up here and has allowed me to do what I do is to encourage people out there that although sometimes it doesn’t look really bright and things don’t go in your favor and there are moments you want to give up, I think I’m a living example of when you make yourself useful, when you continue to work hard, when you continue to believe in yourself, and obviously as I said before, when God wants to use you in a special way, that anything is possible. I hope that when people think back on my career, maybe it’s just over the next couple weeks as they reflect on it or maybe it’s years to come, that that’s what they remember more than anything else. Not the way I threw the football, not particular games that I won, but that they remember that here’s a guy that believed, that worked hard and, although things didn’t always go in his favor, he continued to press through and with his faith in himself and his faith in God, he was able to accomplish great things. That’s what I want everybody to remember. Again, I thank everybody that has been involved. I can’t thank everybody personally, but I wanted to take a chance while I had this platform to thank those people that were so instrumental. But everybody along the way, all the coaches, all the players, all the people that supported me and encouraged me, I thank you as well. God bless you guys. I’ll open it up for questions now.”


On if he had a moment of clarity after the season ended that made this a clear and obvious decision:
“There were a lot of times during the season where I really felt like this was it for me. Again, as I’ve always said, I never want to make an emotional decision. I never want to make that decision in the middle of the season, but what I’ve known is that over the last couple years (is) that God has been telling me that it’s getting closer and it’s getting closer. I knew that was a fact. Now, it was just figuring out when the right time was. It was probably halfway through the season where I really felt that tugging, that pulling, that this was probably going to be my last season. Again, I didn’t know for sure. I wanted to get away from it for a time, like I did last year, because I had moments last year that I thought the same thing—that I might be done—but I wasn’t away very long before I realized I wanted to come back and play. I wanted to give it that same opportunity this year and make sure that it wasn’t just something that was going on in my world that was pushing me in that direction. But, when I got away, it felt good. It felt right. As I said early on, I’m excited about what’s next, which isn’t something I’ve had before. Before, I was always looking and waiting for the next season. Now, I’m waiting for the next chapter. I’m excited about that part of it. The decision has been made over the weeks or so, but I had a pretty good idea probably for the last half of the season that this was the direction that I was leaning.”

On if the concussion he suffered in St. Louis this season was the final determining factor that helped him to know that it was time to walk away:
“The hit in St. Louis I think was part of the process. I think the one thing you always want from this game is you enjoy playing, you enjoy everything that comes with it, but you want to be able to walk away on your own terms, and specifically—physically. I have taken a lot of hits. I have been beat up a lot in my career. The one thing that I can say is that I have been very fortunate from that standpoint. I have not suffered a lot of serious injuries. I thank God for that. I think one of the things in deciding when to get out, when that time is, is being able to walk away without the game or your body dictating that to you. I think that every injury, specifically this year when I was already leaning in that direction, makes you think about; makes you contemplate it a little bit more. But, I won’t say that was the determining factor because I have felt that I have been very fortunate and very healthy throughout my career. There’s not anything that I leave this game saying, ‘I don’t know if I could have done it physically.’ All those things go into it.”

On what’s next in his life:
“As far as what’s next, I think there’s a lot of things next. Obviously, I talked about my family. I’m going to watch them play football on Saturday mornings. I’m going to watch them do what they do. I’m going to watch them grow. I’m going to enjoy their life now and all the things that I’ve missed over the last 12 years. Professionally, I don’t know. There’s a lot of things I want to do. I know that ministry will be a part of it. I’ll spend time preaching. I’ll spend time speaking and hopefully being able to motivate people with my life story like hopefully I have with the way I have played the game. I like to write. I’m interested in doing some of that. My charity is going to be huge. It’s something I want to continue. I want to continue to work on impacting people’s lives. That’s what we’re all about. That’s what we believe in. We have been given an amazing opportunity to do that. We’re going to further those efforts as well. And then, I would like football to be a part of it. What that means, I don’t know. I don’t know if that means television, radio, or broadcast. I don’t know. I don’t really know what that means. I love the game. I think I have a lot to offer. I enjoy the game, but a lot of that is going to be determined by the time constraints and what it means for me in the short term, because these eight people up here are my priority. I want to make them my priority for a little while yet. So, if we can do some of those other things and we have some opportunities, those are the things that I would gravitate to. Those are the things that I’m passionate about. We’re going to leave the door open and see what comes our way, what opportunities come our way, and try to make the best decisions for us moving forward.”

On what it means to him to know he can still play at a high level when retiring:
“I think that’s one of those ultimate questions when you’re getting to this point. You never want to leave too early, and you never want to stay too long. It’s hard to try to determine when that is, but there is something to be said, I think, for being able to leave on your own terms and playing at the level that you want to play at. I don’t know if I could have handled playing at a lesser level. I think that would have frustrated me. It was funny, I was talking to my agent last night, and that was one of the things he said. One of the things that bothers him a little bit is that he knows at what level I can still play, and he hates that I’m leaving the game being able to play at such a high level. I flipped it back on him and said ‘I understand what you’re saying, but I also know that, had I come back this year and not performed at that level, that you would have been saying to yourself, ‘man, I wish he would have got out one year earlier, where he was playing at a high level.’ So I think there is a Catch-22. That’s something that I’m proud of. I’ve played 12 years, I’m at 38 years old and I believe I was playing at as high a level now and over the last two years as I was playing at when I first got into this league. That’s something I’m proud of. That’s something that I’m happy to say as I leave the game; that I had the opportunity to play at that level and had the opportunity to be in a Super Bowl last year, to be in the playoffs again this year, and compete at the highest level in the greatest game there is. That factors in a little bit. I’m just happy that it all coincided, that I’m still playing at a high level when I knew it was the right time to leave. I’m happy to say that nobody can say there was a period of time in there, or at the end of his career, where he didn’t play up to a certain standard.”

On if he worries about whether he will wish he had played one more year:
“I don’t. I think that’s one of the great things about where I’m at right now—is I don’t. I don’t think about playing another game. I don’t worry about those things and (about) thinking back, even next year. I’m sure there are going to be moments where you miss it, you want to be out there and you know that you can still do it, but as of right now, there is no question in my mind that I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. There is no question that I’m leaving at the right time, and because I know that, it’s easy for me to walk away and say that is what it is—a great chapter, a great period of my life that I will never forget—and it’s meant so much to me. But, I don’t worry one bit about looking back and wishing that I had played longer. I think it was the perfect time, and I’m ready.”

On if anyone tried to talk him into coming back to play one more season:
“There were definitely people that tried to talk me into coming back. Some people that are in this room, some close friends, obviously my agent, some teammates, a number of people that tried to talk me into coming back. It’s one of those things that, if I wasn’t sure, it would have been really hard to listen to them and be able to tell them that I’m retiring. But again, I prayed about it, I believed it, my wife and I talked about it, and I just felt it was the right time. So I could listen to them and I appreciated the fact that they wanted me back, and what I meant to them, what I meant to this team, and what I meant to this game; all of those things. It means a lot to me, but again, I can’t question the fact that I know it’s the right time, and because of that, it wasn’t that hard listening to them. It was more appreciative than anything. I knew that it was the right time.”

On the importance of the last three seasons in solidifying his Hall of Fame chances:
“I don’t know about the Hall of Fame, but I think it’s a book end to my career that I wanted. To start this game, in St. Louis, at the level that I did; to have all the success early, and then have some of the struggles in the middle of my career; I knew deep down how well I could still play. I knew what I could still offer. But the hardest thing would have been leaving the game having not had the opportunity to show people what I could still bring to the table. That’s what these last three years have meant to me. It’s given me an opportunity to show people the way I play the game. Just because there were some struggles or some things that didn’t go my direction in the middle of it, I wasn’t done. That’s been so important to me. I think it’s the stats and the things you accomplish on the football field, but I think more than anything, to be able to be a part of a Super Bowl team and to be able to be a part of my second Super Bowl team, was probably the one thing that I’ll hang onto more than anything else that I accomplished in this game. That was the thing that I’m most proud of—to be a factor in helping bring this organization, as well as the organization in St. Louis, to that level. That, to me, is a perfect book end to my career. I just don’t think it would have been the same. I think there would have been a lot of great things, a lot of things you could say—the story and how I got here—but I think these last three years have really finished the story and done it in a special way. A way that allows it to mean even more to me than just getting here. To play at this level, to be a part of that and to be able to leave this organization in better shape than when I got here, that’s what you always want. Everybody loves the stats and everybody loves the wins and losses, but what I’ve always believed is that I want to leave an organization where people, at least to some degree, feel indebted to what I was able to bring to the table, whether it was on the football field or off. I truly feel like each of the teams that I’ve been with, I’ve had the opportunity to do that. Maybe some in a smaller way, but that’s what I love about the three places that I’ve been, and having the opportunity to be in three places. I know people talk all the time about wanting to be in one place their whole career and establish that, and I think that would be cool. I think that would be an amazing accomplishment, especially in this day and age. But as with my whole story, it’s not until after the fact do I realize that I wouldn’t change a thing. To have the opportunities that I’ve had with the three organizations, specifically with the Rams and here with the Cardinals, has been incredible. It’s been amazing and it has allowed me to do some things that other guys never get the opportunity to do. I’ll cherish that. I will relish that fact. If any of that leads or adds to a Hall of Fame career, so be it. We know that’s for somebody else to decide, but I’ve enjoyed every minute and I’m appreciative for all the opportunities I’ve gotten, and specifically the opportunities to be a part of changing two organizations like I’ve been a part of, is the most special part of my career.”

On if there was ever a time during a difficult stretch of his career where he wanted to shout to the world about what was going on in his life:
“There are a lot of those times, because the one thing you understand in this business is that it’s such a huge business of perception. What certain people perceive about you becomes reality. That’s hard, because when you know differently, you want to go and tell everybody. You want to prove to everybody that what they perceive about you is not actually who you are or what you’re all about. So there were times, there were moments that I was tempted to say different things, but again, in my life I’ve seen that God continues to work things out. He continues to have a reason for everything that He’s done. It’s weird: after the second Super Bowl in St. Louis—the one we lost—I remember thinking about that game more than any other. How I lost an opportunity to win a second championship, yada yada yada and all these things. But over the course of time, I’ve come to realize that had I not lost that Super Bowl, I probably never would have been here in Arizona. It’s things like that that bring it all together for me. Sometimes things may not work out in your favor, they may not work exactly how you hoped that they would work out, but with my faith, I’ve always believed that God has a better plan. There is no question in my mind that He had a better plan. So, although there were those moments of frustration where I wanted to share different things with the world, the better plan for me was to keep believing, keep following Jesus, keep doing what I do and believe that, as always, He was going to work it out. And each and every time, He has. I know with this newest term that He is going to work it out in an amazing way, and I look forward to that.”

On if he allowed himself to consider the void he would leave with the Cardinals by retiring:
“Yes, you do. I don’t think you can help but think about that. I think that’s one of the hardest parts of the decision—knowing an organization, a coaching staff, teammates, how they’ve counted on you, what a big piece of the puzzle you are—there’s no question that’s the hardest part for me. You never want to leave anybody in a difficult situation, but at the same time, I had to weigh the fact of, could I and was I willing to bring everything that this organization and this team has expected of me for the five years that I’ve been here? Could I continue to bring to that table? I had to weigh the two. Maybe I could come back and fill that void physically, but mentally and emotionally, was I in a situation where I could bring what I think this game deserves and what I think this organization and my teammates deserve, from that standpoint, from a leadership and a quarterbacking standpoint? That’s where I think the decision got easier for me. I don’t think I’m willing to do that anymore. I think the last couple of years have been difficult. When I started leaning in this direction in the middle of the season, it was a struggle every week to live up to the standard that we’ve set here and that I’ve set for myself. So that’s where it became easier for me. I knew it would be a disservice to me and to everybody around me if I came back specifically to fill that void physically, and I couldn’t do what I needed to do from all the other standpoints. That’s why I felt like, you understand the one side of it, but to me, the other side is more important. If I’m here, I’ve got to be willing to give everything that I’ve always given. It just came to the point in time where I just don’t know if I can do that, physically or mentally the way that I always have.”

On if he and his family will continue to live in Phoenix:
“I think we will, at the time being. We have no desire to leave. We love the community. We love living here. Our kids love it here. We love raising our kids here. We’ve just become so engrossed in the community here that there is absolutely nothing that makes us think about going anywhere else. Does that mean that as we take these steps into the next part of my life that God doesn’t call us somewhere else to do something else? I can’t say that. I don’t know at this point in time, but right now, Phoenix is definitely home for us. We plan on it staying that way for at least awhile.”

On how things came together here to produce what’s happened the last three years:
“Anytime you have success, a lot of things have to come together. I don’t know where you start in the process, but for me, obviously, coming here started before Coach [Ken] Whisenhunt got into this position, but I think things started to change when the organization made the decision to hire Coach Whiz; his ability to bring an attitude, bring a mentality here, that I was used to, his willingness to give me an opportunity that I don’t know if anyone else would. That’s one of the things that I told him in this process—how much I appreciate the fact that he gave me another opportunity. I don’t know if there was any other coach out there that would have done that. So I think that was a huge step early in the process. Then, I think coming together and meshing all our skills, all the people that we had in place here, was huge. I’ve been around coaches that have a mindset and believe it should be done one way, and that’s all they listen to. A credit to Coach Whiz and his staff here is that they’ve never taken that approach. I know when he came here, he wanted to be like three tight ends and two backs and run the ball every snap. I was so completely opposite of that. But what I’ve loved about this process has been our ability to come together, with my skills, with his skills, with the team that we had, and mesh that together to do some great things and to accomplish some great things. That’s always a neat part of the process. When you’re on the inside, you understand what it took to get to where we’re at today; the process, the work, the give and take on everybody’s part to get to this point. That’s a huge part of the reward, that you just didn’t step into this place and everything was set up, and you just rode it to the Super Bowl. There was a lot of work. There was a lot of effort. There was a lot of give and take. Sometimes it was screaming matches. Sometimes it was each of us trying to beat into the other one what we believed in and what we wanted to do. But to me, that was fun. That was an awesome part of the process. Not only did I get to find out what kind of coach he is, what he believes in, his ability to make different things work, but I got to find out about the men that were behind it as well. To me, that’s always the best part, is that we developed a friendship that went beyond X’s and O’s and went beyond handing the football off or throwing the football. It went beyond that. That’s what I love. Maybe it’s because I’m older than he is, because we’re so close in age, it was easier to mesh. That’s a part of the process that I’ve really enjoyed, getting to know the coaches and working, probably, at a different level than most players; being able to have a hand in some of the coaching and the developing process, and getting to know these coaches like I don’t think very many players get the opportunity to know them. I count that as a huge blessing and a great opportunity for me. I think it paid huge dividends in the success that we had. So many parts were willing to come together, sacrifice where they needed to, needed to be strong-headed in certain areas, and through that, we trudged this path together. It’s something that I’ll never forget.”

On if he feels young now that he is an ex-player:
“Give me a couple more weeks. I think there is something to the fact that, when you step away from the game and the expectations that you have for yourself physically, you can exhale a little bit and you can take a deep breath. It doesn’t hurt as much, or there is not as much of a strain on you, because you know that, just for instance, working out. It was hard for me, over the past 12 years, to take a day off from working out, because I felt an obligation to stay at a particular level to play this game. Now it’s a simple burden like that, where maybe I want to work out for 20 minutes a day. Maybe I want to sit in front of the couch and eat bon-bons. Whatever it is, there is a release, I think, from that. Knowing the standard that I set and what it took to stay at that level, that when you finally make this decision, there is a relaxing or an exhaling that you can do that makes you feel a little bit younger than you may have been otherwise.”