2016By Harry Lyles Jr. on

Vince Wilfork was the cover athlete for ESPN The Magazine’s latest Body Issue that hit newsstands on Wednesday. Wilfork is on the tail end of his career, and has been a force in the NFL since he entered the league in 2004. He’s also known for his large frame.

Wilfork told ESPN he hasn’t really known himself to be anybody else, and that he’s proud of his body:

I’m naturally a big dude, yes. I was 308 in high school. And I’ve been between 308 all the way to 350. I can only imagine when I finish football and I get the weight off, I’ll probably feel things different. But for 20 years I’ve been this size; basically it’s the only thing I know.

But Wilfork’s body is very much toned up and muscular outside of his stomach, and he hopes that people that see the cover can see the same:

Some people consider me to be obese. Some people consider me fat and sloppy. But I think this shoot will give people a different look at what I am. Everybody knows that I have a big stomach, but I think sometimes that overshadows everything else on my body — from my calves to my back to my shoulders to my biceps, you name it. What people go to the gym and work for, I have. The only thing I don’t have that they got is six-packs. But I really don’t care about six-packs.

The veteran defensive lineman should prove as a good example to those that might not quite understand the athleticism and strength that it takes to be a professional athlete. Sure, Wilfork doesn’t have a six pack, and for many normal folks, he doesn’t have a body that you would want to have.

But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his positives. As aforementioned, outside of his stomach, his back, shoulders, arms, and legs are all very toned, and with a slim midsection would have a body that most people would kill to have.

Either way, Wilfork is showing out on the cover, and should be proud.

[ESPN]

About Harry Lyles Jr.

Harry Lyles Jr. is an Atlanta-based writer, and a Georgia State University graduate.

View all posts by Harry Lyles Jr.