Quotes from Julius Peppers

I was never focused on winning individual awards. I just tried to help the team out and do all that I could do.

I didn't grow up playing football. I wanted to be a basketball player.

I didn't want to do media or appearances. You've got to do this and that, fly here to film something. I didn't want to cut into my time for that. You can't pay for your peace of mind and your sanity.

If the opportunities are a little limited, then you've got to try to find a way to make something happen the best way you can.

The Super Bowl ring eluded me, but I don't need that to validate me. I would have loved to have helped deliver that to the fans in Carolina, but I'm content with the career that I had.

You go to the Super Bowl in your second year and you're like, 'OK, cool. I'll be back next year or the year after that.'

You ask somebody right now who are the top two or three sack persons and they couldn't tell you. You're a professional and you want to perform and you want to achieve those goals. But being out with the people and giving back to the community, it's going to be more impactful and long lasting.

Seventeen years is a long time to be playing this game. It's two careers for a lot of people.

I was so sheltered as a kid that when I went to college, it was like taking the chains off. That's where the trouble came from. It was the first time for me being by myself, and I got into everything you could think of.

Truth be told, that's really one of the small reasons that I wanted to get out; because everybody knows your business in Charlotte.

Basically, if I decide to retire I don't want it to be one of those situations where, you know, after a couple of months I have the itch to play again. That's not something I want to do. I want to put a lot of thought into it and make the final decision. I don't want to waver on it at all.

It's one thing to play football in this league and make a living, but it's a totally different thing to come to a place with a rich tradition like the Bears.

I don't have a lot of close friends.

When you get to the big games you never know when you are going to be back so you've got to try as best as you can to take advantage of those opportunities.

I never said I had to be the highest-paid defensive player. That really wasn't the most important thing.

Sometimes you've got to just dig down deep and be accountable for the role that you have on the team.

If my play is not to run and chase the ball, if my play is to stay backside, then I've got to stay backside. I've got to be disciplined. I can't run across the field and chase stuff that's not mine.

Obviously, we know people aren't as fortunate and blessed as we are. I learned a little bit about the impact we have as professionals, and how we can help, how impactful it is for just your presence.

That one thing that people say about me taking plays off, I feel like somebody said that when I was playing in college and it has followed me throughout my career. Because I feel like if we had the film and you wanted to pick one person who was taking a play off on a particular play, you could pick anybody.

I'm thankful that I have been able to play so long and still be healthy. I'm not all banged up and beaten down. I still feel good. But as much as I would love to play forever, I know that I can't.

Sometimes you've got to do things you don't want to do. Doing the right thing is not always comfortable; it doesn't always feel good.

At the end of the day, the wins are the wins and the losses are the losses. But the relationships are everything.

My stepdad was a farmer, so growing up, during summer breaks, I woke up every morning and went to work. Harvesting tobacco, picking cucumbers, gathering watermelons from the patch, pulling up sweet potatoes... stuff like that.

Finding real friends - that's something that was an obstacle for me. And learning how to deal with my problems and talking about them.