Shatley set to retire at end of 11th season

Burke County’s unlikely longest NFL career will end after 11 seasons.

At least that’s the plan.

Speaking with CBS affiliate WJAX-TV Channel 4 out of Jacksonville, Fla., after training camp early this week, Valdese native and 2009 East Burke High School graduate Tyler Shatley confirmed this would be his final season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the only NFL franchise for which he has played.

“It’s super hard,” Shatley said of his decision. “Every year for as long as I can remember, I’ve been putting on pads come September. It’s hard to leave the game, just the thought of it, and especially the guys, just the relationships I’ve got here. I’m just kinda getting to that point in my life, getting a little bit older in regards to the NFL. Body’s starting to feel a little more worn down. 

“A lot of it has to do with kid stuff, wanting to be home with my family and getting to see these milestones. A lot went into it. I wanted to make that decision (before the season) because I wanted to know, ‘OK, this year I’m going to enjoy the dog days of (training) camp.’ If there is a way to enjoy them, it’s knowing that it won’t be back next year. So just trying to enjoy the grind, enjoy the fellows, and just getting to travel a little bit more and see all these places and play football.”

After going undrafted out of Clemson and signing with the Jags as a rookie free agent, Shatley told WJAX that his decade-plus long NFL experience had exceeded his wildest dreams.

“Honestly, the goal going in was … I just thought I was going to be at training camp and then I was expecting to go get a job somewhere (outside of football),” he saod. “The Lord’s just blessed me, being here and being on year 11, it’s so much longer than I thought I’d be. … It’s been such a blessing to be able to be here (with the Jaguars) this entire time.” 

Shatley, the longest-tenured current Jaguars player, looks to keep adding to his franchise-record streak of 140 consecutive games played when the team opens the regular season at the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 8. Prior to then, the Jags’ preseason schedule includes games vs. the Kansas City Chiefs (today, Aug. 10), vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Aug. 17), and at the Atlanta Falcons (Aug. 23).

Jacksonville’s training camp opened July 24 and concludes Aug. 14-15 with two joint practices with Tampa Bay. Shatley said that after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib) a year ago this time and missing most of last year’s camp, “it’s just good to be back out here.”

“Especially after last year and the AFib thing … it’s just a reminder of how grateful I am to still have this opportunity to play football,” Shatley said.

The versatile 6-foot-3, 305-pound offensive lineman in April signed a one-year contract with the Jags. Shatley, 33, played in all 17 games and started six times at center in 2023, and he has now started 51 games over the course of his NFL career.

His complete interview with WJAX can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=t9VrABKWW0I.

GOLF

Bock part of Paris Olympics

Caddie Duane Bock of Morganton can now add “Olympic athlete” to his growing resume in the sport of golf.

Bock and his pro, Sepp Straka, represented Austria in the Olympic men’s golf competition in the ongoing Paris Games from Aug. 1-4 at Le Golf National.

Bock said Straka had plenty of support from a large Austrian cheering section at the event and called the crowds and atmosphere “amazing.”

“The venue hosted the Ryder Cup in 2018, and the electricity of the crowd reminded me of the Ryder Cup,” Bock said. “But otherwise, it was kind of business as usual. We flew into Paris that Monday, practiced Monday through Wednesday and played Thursday through Sunday like a normal week out on tour.”

Bock and Straka did not get to take in any other Olympic events in person and did not stay in the Olympic village as the venue for golf was located roughly an hour away, near Versailles. Several other Austrian Olympic teams also stayed at the same hotel.

“Arriving when we did, we didn’t get to be part of the opening ceremony,” Bock said. “But one of the cooler parts was staying in the hotel with a lot of other Olympic athletes. That was a neat experience, just being around them. (The Austrian Olympic committee) provided us with all the gear we wore that whole week from shoes to sunglasses and everything in between, and they wanted us in that whenever we were out in public, even if it was just to go grab a coffee in the morning.”

Straka, who has worked with Bock since July 2023, shot rounds of 67, 74, 70, and 71 to finish at 2-under par and in a tie for 35th place in a field of 60 golfers. American and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler won the gold medal at the event.

Bock, who celebrated his 55th birthday while in Paris, is racking up the air miles as well as the lifelong memories, having also been part of the Ryder Cup near Rome in the last 12 months. And after the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup concludes, with his children Albany and Alex now both in college playing golf, his wife Geraldine will accompany him and Straka to London and Madrid for DP World Tour events.

“Just in the last year, where we’ve been and what we’ve done, you’ve gotta stop and pinch yourself,” Bock said. “To be 55 and traveling the world and getting paid to do what you love.”