On Monday, former defensive end Richard Seymour was named the 2020 New England Patriots Hall of Fame inductee after winning a fan vote over linebacker Mike Vrabel and head coach Bill Parcells.
Bill Belichick drafted Seymour with the sixth overall pick out of Georgia in the 2001 NFL Draft and would coach him for the next eight seasons.
During that span, Seymour earned five Pro Bowl honors and helped the Patriots win three Super Bowl rings.
Seymour assisted a Patriots defense that allowed an average of 17.8 points per game and fewer than 20 points per game in six of his eight seasons with New England. Seymour also blocked a franchise record six regular season field goals in his career, plus one in postseason play.
Following the news of his selection to the Patriots Hall of Fame, Belichick released a special statement praising Seymour for his contributions to the franchise.
Read the full statement courtesy of a Patriots tweet below.
Coach Belichick on @BigSey93's selection to @TheHall: https://t.co/fUsTvoxcbf pic.twitter.com/ocqF4xdZGb
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 11, 2020
During his press conference with the media Monday afternoon, Seymour spoke glowingly about his former head coach, while also putting to rest any speculation the two ended on bad terms following his trade to the Oakland Raiders before the 2009 season.
“At the end of the day, like I said, the amount of respect I had for Coach Belichick and still have to this day – there’s a difference between business and your personal life. Personally, it was always a ton of respect. Coach Belichick, he would always send a Christmas gift to the kids and little things like that. In terms of the business side of it, I mean, that’s just the business side of the NFL. We saw that this year with all their guys. So, that’s a part of it. I don’t have any hard feelings or anything like that. That’s just a part of the way the NFL works. So, it may have seemed like it was some tension or something, but in my mind, it’s no hard feelings. We talk and we see each other. He’ll shoot me a text. I was down there when the team was here in Atlanta for the Super Bowl. I was with the team. So, all is well.”
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