Assistant strength and conditioning coach Don Davis, talking with members of the media Wednesday in Phoenix, also offers the Patriots’ players spiritual advice these days.

The Providence Journal/ / Bob Breidenbach

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When Don Davis wakes up on Monday mornings these days, he is free of the aches and pains of a football player but full with the enjoyment he has gotten from his new role with the New England Patriots.

Last March 1, Davis signed his retirement papers with the NFL, ending an 11-year career with four teams, in which he enjoyed success, but also unimaginable lows.

Davis had spent the final four years of his career with New England, playing for head coach Bill Belichick, who had once scouted Davis when he was at the University of Kansas and Belichick was with the Cleveland Browns. With the Pats, he contributed primarily on special teams, but he also saw time at linebacker and even logged some snaps at safety when the team was thin at the position.

A knee injury ended Davis’ season a year ago December. New England’s week 13 game against Detroit, in which he had one special-teams tackle, wound up being the last time he put on the shoulder pads.

But Davis had spent the last couple of years as both a player and a mentor to many of his teammates, using his faith to help others.

Belichick asked Davis to remain with the team as an assistant strength and conditioning coach, a role that has grown to Davis also becoming the team’s chaplain. He was ordained as a pastor last May and held weekly Bible study and couples Bible study sessions with the players during this season.

It has proven to be a good move for all involved.

“I think what strength and conditioning does is that it allows me to have a relationship with the guys that you can’t have as a position coach, but maybe sometimes the boundaries get gray,” Davis said. “It makes it a little difficult — it’s not impossible — to have to get on a guy about his play and then be the guy that he would come to for encouragement.”

Davis was undrafted out of Kansas, and signed with the Jets as a rookie. But he was cut after training camp. That, however, gave him the chance to return home to Kansas City when he was signed by the Chiefs. But that was just a one-month practice-squad stint before Davis was cut again.

He wound up working at a Foot Locker in Kansas City, sometimes selling sneakers to his former teammates, who came into the store and spent more money in 15 minutes than Davis made in a week.

The Chiefs re-signed him the next year but released him after training camp. He was claimed by the Saints and stayed with New Orleans for more than two years. But Davis’ personal life was, as he says, a mess. He was married but wanted to live it up as a pro athlete, which affected his play.

Midway through the 1998 season, injured and having gone through a painful divorce, the Saints cut Davis. He drove home to Kansas City, and at one point contemplated suicide.

A day later, however, Tampa Bay called. There, Davis enjoyed a professional revival.

But more importantly for him, he had a spiritual revival, as well.

On Davis’ Web site, he describes the day in 1999 when a conversation with the Buccaneers’ chaplain led to him giving “my heart to Jesus.” Two years later, he preached for the first time and knew that was in his future.

In addition to his duties with the Patriots, Davis also serves as a pastor at Living Waters Church in Attleboro.

New England players, most of whom were teammates of Davis, have embraced him in his new role.

“He’s been the spiritual advisor on the team and now he’s moved into that official chaplain role,” Benjamin Watson said. “He’s always been a guy I’ve looked up to, not just spiritually but also the way he played, and the fact that he played in this league so long.

“He’s definitely a guy I think everyone on the team respects, and can go to with stuff off the field. I think a lot of times we worry about football, rightly so, but there’s a lot of other stuff going on in your life that you need advice or just want to talk to somebody about, and he’s a great listener.”

Watson said he and Davis often talk about life when Davis is putting the tight end through his paces in the weight room.

When he was going through his dark days in New Orleans, no one noticed that Davis was having difficulties. Now, he keeps an eye on all of the players, especially the younger ones, to offer the help he didn’t get.

“I try to look around and see if a guy might be struggling; you can just see it,” he said. “A guy might be more quiet, a little bit more lethargic, not practicing well, and give him an encouraging word.”

And there’s always the feeling-good-on-Monday part.

“With all the success, people would say, ‘Don’t you miss it?’ and I’d say, ‘Yeah, but it’s a new chapter of life,’ ” he said. “With all the success we have accomplished, it’s great because I can still be a part of that and have people calling and congratulating me and I still feel great on Monday morning.”

smanza@projo.com