TRANSCRIPT: Julian Edelman’s Patriots Hall of Fame Induction Speech
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Here’s what Julian Edelman had to say during his Patriots Hall of Fame induction speech on Saturday afternoon, September 20, 2025, at Gillette Stadium.
“Great speech. And it’s honestly an honor to be on this stage with coach Parcells and the other Hall of Fame inductees. First off, I just want to take a second here. I mean, look around Foxborough, Gillette Stadium, this place is huge. The fans, my family sitting right here in the front row. To be standing up here today, being inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame is pretty surreal. I stand before you in a red jacket with the honor of being enshrined forever. But for years I would drive up to this building, this stadium, praying it wouldn’t be my last. There was so much uncertainty that comes into a late-round pick’s chasing his dream to be in this league. I came here a Nor-Cal kid who played college football in Northeast Ohio, not knowing what position I’d play, certainly not knowing what my future held. And I literally had to Google where Foxborough was. Only thing I remembered was ’02 Madden. I think there was a bunch of trees around it, and thought it was a glitch in the game.”
“But the one thing I did know is that I’d been given an opportunity here. I found a building full of some of the smartest hard-working men and women I’d ever been around. A group of men from all different walks of life coming together for the pursuit of one common goal, no matter what it took. And I’m so glad this place became my home.”
“To stand here now, knowing I’m forever part of this organization’s history is the ultimate honor. And first, I want to thank the Kraft family. RKK. I can still remember like it was yesterday, one of our first team meetings with you in there. You said the only way you were going to be able to buy this team, your wife said, Myra, Ms. Kraft, which I got to meet her and be around her for my first few years. You said she was going to make you have to make an impact on the community. And that’s what you did. So thank you, Mr. Kraft, for all the wisdom that you gave me in the building, outside the building. I love going over our faith of Judaism together. And thank you for believing in me, for creating a culture where someone like me could find a role and thrive. You built something special here, something that goes beyond wins and losses. It’s about family, and it’s about community.”
“Now, when I first got drafted here, even though I had no idea where Foxborough was, I certainly knew the legend, the legend of Tom [Brady], Bill [Belichick], and RKK, the dominance of those early 2000s teams. There was an aura around this organization. So I was excited for my opportunity. Walking in on my first day of rookie minicamp, I knew it was going to be an extreme challenge to make this team. Then the big dog showed up.”
“Tom made it look so easy. I remember the first time I saw him throw a ball, I was like, ‘Holy smokes.’ Suddenly, my switch from QB to receiver seemed like a great decision.
“And then I saw Randy Moss on the other end of that throw. You guys are cheering. I was cheering in practice. It was like poetry in motion. I knew I had a lot to learn, but luckily, I had an incredible support system around me. Mentors and coaches who love to do exactly that. Coach you and coach you hard.”
“Those first few years, I knew my place. Be seen, not heard. I learned how to write an insane amount of notes, asked questions. I had a lot of mental reps, didn’t play a lot, and definitely learned to not to interrupt Randy Moss while he was talking to his mother on the phone.”
“I was a sponge. I absorbed everything I could, and I never stopped in my 12 years. In those 12 years here, I was fortunate enough to play in some incredible games, be part of some big moments. Everyone wants to talk about the catch or Malcolm’s interception in that Super Bowl or the Super Bowl MVP, and I’ll never forget any of those. But those moments go by so fast, what I truly cherish, are the countless hours we put in to make those moments happen.”
“For example, before every day, every practice, I used to have to get my hand eye coordination going and I’d do these ball drills. It started with the wall, a bucket of different colored tennis balls, and someone throwing to me. Now it sounds simple enough. I had to get my focus. I had real bad ADD, and I also needed to learn how to create a routine. That’s what I saw from all the great guys. They had great routines, but I was really particular with these drills. So I would put together a combine, and I would pull people from the equipment staff, the training staff, the weight staff, the offensive assistants, anyone that had any kind of athletic ability in their background. And I’d run them through a series of drills to see who threw the best ball. Of course, right? So I gotta shout out my guys. Double Js, Jimmy Neutron, Bobby Balls, Wally, Frank Ross, and the countless other guys. I love you guys. I spent a lot of time with those guys. At 5:00am in the morning or 8:00 at night after practice, anytime I needed to get my confidence, those guys are always there.”
“Bobby Balls is here. I saw him somewhere. You know, they love to work and I love to work. I took pride knowing that I was doing absolutely everything I could to get the most out of my day, my week, and ultimately my career. Trying to find the edge, which the old dogs always used to say, like, ‘We got to catch the edge on you guys.’ So that was a little tip to them.”
“Playing in the National Football League is a dream for every football player, no matter who drafts you. But there is something special about New England. What makes this play so special and so great is how much everyone here cares. Not just the players, coaches in the front office, I mean everyone. You heard Coach Parcells bring up Nancy. From the trainers, Jim Whalen, to the Nancy’s in the building to the trainers like Joe V, Jim Whalen the nutritionist, Ted, our security guards, our lunch ladies, everyone in the hallways. We all knew we were part of something bigger. And everyone did their job and they did it well. So thank you guys. We built so many awesome relationships, and memories over the years.”
“And I know I wasn’t the easiest person to be around all the time, but I knew without everyone buying in behind the scenes, this whole thing never happens. And none of this ever happens. Without my support system, the people who got me through the ups and downs, always keeping me in check when things were going good, and always talking me off a ledge when things were going bad. My agents, Don, Steve, Carter, and Chantal, you guys believed in me first. You took a shot on a kid who wasn’t even supposed to be drafted, and you showed me the way. And I always remember that. I mean, I remember going on visits, I always had to wear my suit because Don said, ‘This is a job interview. You got to look like you’re going in for a job.’ So I appreciate you guys. I love you.”
“To my friends, all my friends from back home, LA, Josh, Jeff, Eric, Texas, Lisa, Boston. I have so many new friends here. New York, you always had my back. Having a great group of friends along the way makes the journey so much better. So thank you all, and especially Kurt, my boy Kurt. You stuck around with me from the days of catching balls and shagging balls in Redwood City, Red Morton Park, all the way to Super Bowl parades down Boylston Street. I couldn’t have done without you, bro. I appreciate you.”
“At its core, football is the ultimate team game. 11 guys doing their jobs for five seconds at a time. 50 to 70 plays, 110 in Super Bowl 51 or something like that. And, I mean, if one guy messes up, it could be a colossal disaster, just like in life. Nothing in the game of football is achievable alone. And on this team, we only cared about one stat and one stat only. The win, loss, column. First, like any good receiver, I got, I give a shout out to my quarterback. The hand that feeds you, right? TB12.”
“You know, I was lucky to be drafted here because I got to be around a guy like him, who was a role model in this league. The guy who taught me what it meant to be a professional, how to take care of your body. Shout out to Mr. Miyagi. Alex Guerrero. The standard you set, Tom, the drive, your dedication, your example, drove us all to be better. And he was the same guy every day. And that was over 22 years. That’s a lot of days, guys. That’s a lot of days. And one of the first things Tom Brady ever said to me, I think we were, we just got out of one of our first OTA practices, and I already told you, I was in awe of watching him throw. ‘I go, man, you work so hard.’ And he looked at me with those blue eyes and that jawline. He goes, ‘Babe, if all you ever do is all you ever done, then all you ever get is all you ever got.’ Then he winked at me and left. I was like, what? And that was Tom. Thank you for letting me be, bringing me in, and allowing me to learn from you, bro.”
“But I wouldn’t be nothing without all my teammates. To the guys that push me to be better every day, like the Danny Amendolas, the Rob Ninkoviches, the Patrick Chungs, the Devin McCourtys, the Malcolm Butlers, to the guys that went out of their way to show me how to be a professional like the Kevin Faulks or the Vince Wilforks, the Logan Mankens, the Dan Connollys, the Sam Aikens, the Fred Taylors, or the guys that picked me up when I was down, like Matthew Slater. Slate was always there. We lived together for four or five years like a college frat house. Pizza box is his furniture. And we would both have to go to these 6am Scotty O’ Brien pre-meetings to go over the special teams meetings before the meetings. So we would go over punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return, field goal, field goal block, didn’t matter if we were on it, we were there. And that created a lasting friendship, a brotherhood.”
“And through the years when we go down, a two game losing streak or something was going on in the building, me and Slate would pass each other in the hall. We’d call for a state of the union, as we used to call it back at our house. And it was a way for us to express the stress that playing in New England caused. It was a way for us to vocalize our fears that the sky was falling, which it almost never was. But it was always good to have a person you could talk to that knows exactly what you are going through. Brother for life, man. You’re a brother for life. I love you, Slate. Another great example of a professional. Before he had kids, a son, now a father, a husband. And I believe that God put Slate in my life for a reason. I love you, bro.”
“Now over my career I played with thousands of players, so if I forget you, I am sorry. But it was my job to go across the middle every Sunday and dig out that force. But here it goes. Here’s a couple. Gronk, he was such an inspiration. Gronk was such an inspiration on how he enjoyed football, his genuineness, and that, I mean, it was insane. Danny Amendola, yeah, you guys were cheering, but when he signed here, I wasn’t cheering, I was pissed about it. But you know what? Danny being the calm, cool, collect dude, he was, he always looked out after me. He always knew when I was pissed off about something, and he would always bring me up, man. I love you.”
“Hoy dog. Brian Hoyer or Axel Hoyer still remember doing those walkthroughs in those hotel rooms to try to get those formation personnel groups and those plays down, bro. Rookie year. That was awesome. Chung. Me and Chung used to fight like every day in practice. He was the safety I had to block. Randy, Wes. Those guys were unbelievable examples to watch. How to be a professional. I’d throw Aqib Talib, Reavis and Devin McCourty in there. We used to challenge each other every single day. And we would fight, but that’s what brothers do. Mankins, Dan Connolly, Matt Light, Steve Neal, Ryan Wendell, Seabass, Cannon, DA and Stork, the big dogs. I’m a former quarterback. You got to give the linemen some love, right? And I’m also a smart guy that loves food and they always had the best Thanksgivings.”
“And also Sam Aiken, you know, he was a special teams captain my rookie year. He gave us a lot of knowledge on how to create value to be able to stick on a team. And there’s countless guys. These are some just the few that I love and what a team really does. It makes you hold yourself to a higher standard than you ever thought was possible because you didn’t want to be the guy to let the guys down. And speaking of people who are easily let down, I also want to thank my coaches, my professional coaches. They were tough, high standard here. But my Pop Warner coach is from Redwood City. The coach Guida, RIP, Frank Guida. He was one of the huge people in my community with football coach Nick Lopoulos. Coach Sam RIP to you. Coach Sam at Woodside High School. Coach Owens, Coach Tulloch at College of San Mateo, and then Coach Martin at Kent State. And I would put Casey Wolf in there, too. He was like my. My life coach. He’s here today. Thank you for being here, Casey.”
“You always believed in me. And then of course, all the coaches who helped me play my 12 years here in New England. We’ll start at the top. Coach Belichick. Now Coach Parcells. I didn’t play for you, so I’m sorry about this, but he’s one of the greatest coaches that I’ve ever had. I lived in constant fear of Coach and still kind of do, but I can’t thank him enough for giving me an opportunity. Your coaching was tough. It was hard. It was honest. And sometimes we didn’t understand why we were doing what we were doing, but it always seemed to pay off. Coach Belichick used to say, ‘To improve, you can’t just work hard. You need to find a peer or a coach, ask them how to get better. They will specify it, and then you work hard on those specifics, and that’s how you improve. I took that to heart. It sounds so simple, but I found out it was. Thanks, coach.”
“Now, in the facility, Bill was like the principal and all the other coaches and coordinators were kind of like the faculty. And then you had Scar, who was kind of like the dean. I would go up to these guys for advice on how to get the most out of myself and what I had to do to contribute to the team. Josh McDaniels, man, when you got here, you believed in me, you gave me opportunity, you developed me, and I love you to death for that. Coach Scarnecchio. Now, Coach Scar wasn’t my coach, but he had an unbelievable way of bringing the guys up in the littlest way in an environment that didn’t really give compliments. I can specifically remember on a fourth-and-two play against the Indianapolis Colts, we had a schemed-up reverse. You remember this, coach? Well, we had this schemed up reverse and we got blown up, but I somehow got the first down. I don’t think we played a very good game. So we won the game, but it wasn’t like a win. I remember, you know, I was kind of down on myself for some of the other things I did in that game. I was walking through the hall. I remember Coach Scar came up to me and he goes, ‘You know, we’re sure lucky to have you.’ And that went so far. I appreciate that. Coach.”
“Billy O’Brien was my first offensive coordinator. He was a guy that challenged me. He coached me hard. He’s here today. He’s Boston College head coach. Let’s go BC. Let’s go BC. I love you to death.”
“Matty P. Scotty O. Coach Fears. And the list goes on. There’s so many. But I’ll tell you a little story about my pre draft process. The first person I met from the Patriots was running backs coach Ivan Fears. He came to work me out at Kent State, and there was this snowstorm that day. So we worked out in our bubble. We had a bubble. It was kind of janky, but we had a bubble. He worked me out as a running back and then he also worked me out as a receiver. Shout out to Charlie Frye because Charlie Frye. Under that whole process, he would come to my all my workouts and he would throw to me. He was a quarterback on the Oakland Raiders and he went to my rival school at Akron and that was A big deal. But getting back to my story with Coach Fears, when it was time to go out and catch punts, like I said, there was a snowstorm. And if any of you guys know Ivan, he didn’t love the weather that much. He was all bundled up like Randy from Christmas Story. He saw me catch two punts and then he said, all right, we’re done, we’re done, we’re done. And we left and I caught two punts and I was like, ‘Oh, that went well.’ And we always had a special relationship because of that.”
“He was the first person I got to meet from this organization, and I love Coach Fiers. And then the next step of the process, they sent out Scotty O’Brien, our special teams coordinator. And before the workout, Scotty O goes, ‘Do you know how to catch a punt?’ And I lied. ‘Heck yeah, coach, I know I got it.’ And he goes, ‘You know how to read a punt?’ I go, ‘what do you mean, read a punt?’ And he goes, ‘Well, with the tip. He goes, well, if the tip goes over on a right-footed punter, you got to play it on your right chest so you get a two way go.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh cool, he’s looking out for me, ‘ ‘And if it doesn’t turn over, it’s gonna die and go right. On a right-footed punter, you gotta play it on your left chest, so you got a two-way go. ‘I’m like, alright, this guy’s helping me out, he’s helping me out.’ He goes, ‘What’s the punt returner’s first job to do on the field?’ I go, ‘That’s easy, gotta look at the wind.’ He goes, ‘No, no you don’t. What are we doing? What are we doing? You gotta count the players on the field to be legal, Bubs.’ ‘Nice, nice.’ And that was Scotty O summed up in a sentence.”
“We spent so much time, like I said, me and Matthew, with Scott O’Brien, the first few years of my career, we learned everything from his TI-83 investments that he made a boatload of money on. We were not making a lot of money at that time. We found out his dad was Jack Dempsey’s boxing trainer. And me and Slate used to sit under this cigar, a big old cigar. And Scotty O, every time he would look at it, he goes, ‘We’re gonna smoke that thing after we win a Super Bowl.’ And we did. And we did.”
I also got to give a special thank you to my receiver, coach Chaddy O’Shea. We came in together, he was like my psychiatrist, always reading my energy, challenging me the right way, pushing the right buttons. There’s a lot of roles for coaches. Yes. They got to give you the info and the technique, but you spend so much time with these guys, especially as younger guys. They’re almost like a foster parent. And that’s what kind of Chaddy O was. I love you, Chaddy O. Thank you.”
“I was always coachable. Well, not always, but in New England, the staff, they’d coach you and they’d coach you hard. Landing here with this incredible staff molded me into the person I am today. ”
“To my family, thank you for being my rock. You kept me grounded when things were tough. You kept me humble when things were going well. My older brother, Jason, thank you for beating me up. He made me tough. My brother was seven years older than me. I used to play with all him and his friends, they’d all beat me up, too. And it made me fearless. Anytime a guy was 2ft taller than me, I was never scared of him because of that. And I probably deserved all those beat ups. But I love you and thank you, bro.”
“My sister, Nikki Nicole. Thank you for always being – Thank you for all your love and support. You were always there. Whether dad was throwing me batting practice and you were shagging the balls, or whether you were on first base while I was at short throwing you, you were always there, and you did it with a smile on your face. And congratulations to the new addition to our family, baby Colette. She just had a baby.”
“My mom. Now, my mom’s one of the most loyal people in this world. I mean, I had a bag lunch until junior college, and they were the best lunches. I had a PB and J, a deli sandwich, a Coke, well, usually a Safeway select on sale, a water, chips, and a Hostess. She was the best. She drove me to all our sporting events. We were always 20 minutes early. She basically raised us while my dad was working. But my mom also is a real tough lady. My dad’s mom, my grandma, used to say, ‘That lady’s meaner than a two-headed rattlesnake.’ And trust me, if you got in between my mom and her family, you better watch out. And honestly, that was me on the field, mom. Your fire was me in between the lines. And I love you. I love you more than anything.”
“And to my father, my first coach, you instilled so much in me growing up. But most importantly, you instilled work ethic, the idea that nothing in life is given to you or fair. And all you can worry about is what’s on your plate that day. You preach, do the little things, and focus on what you can control. And that’s something I lived by. You taught me the importance of a routine. See, my dad, he would get up at 5am he was a mechanic. He’d go open up his shop at 6am, work a 12 hour day. Then I’d see him before practice, so we could practice before practice or before a game. So we could practice before. Before the game. We did that every day. And I needed that. All those years of school, homework, school, homework, repeat, that prepared me for the NFL grind. He was tough. And these days he might be thrown in jail for how he did things, but I wouldn’t be here without him. He would always say, ‘keep your head down, no sniveling, and get to work.’ Thanks, Pop. I love you.”
“And to my lily Bug, my lily Rosemary. Everything I do, I do for you. I hope you understand why Dad’s always working so hard. Always beat up, always sore. It was for moments like this. To show you that if you commit to something and give 100%, there’s nothing you can’t do. Focus and attitude. Focus and attitude, right?”
“The greatest thing about being a parent is that your kid inspires you. Teaching them life lessons is a great reminder for yourself. And like Barry White said, you got to practice what you preach.”
“And then there’s you guys, the fans, Patriot Nation. From the freezing cold nights to the rainy afternoons. You showed up and you give us some boobirds every once in a while if we deserved it. But you believed in us. And you believed in me. I wasn’t the flashiest player, but you embraced me for who I was. A grinder, a fighter. A guy who tried to leave it out on the field every Sunday. Now, New England was the perfect fit for my mentality. A hard-working region that puts heart and toughness above all. And your support meant more than you’ll ever know. So thank you.”
“So here we are, a seventh-round draft pick, now standing in the Patriots Hall of Fame. You know, if that doesn’t tell you something about what’s possible, I don’t know what will. I love you guys, too.”
“And to all the young bucks out there, don’t let anyone tell you what you can or cannot be. Don’t let where you start dictate where you finish. For me, when things would start to seem impossible, memorizing a playbook, rehabbing from an injury, trying to get a call back from Tom Brady, I would remember what my dad used to tell me as a little boy, he would say, ‘Son, life is simple but hard.’ Meaning it’s simple knowing what you have to do. We all know what we have to do to be a better teacher, to be a better parent, to be a better person, to be a better worker, be a better student. But actually doing it is the hard part. I’ll always be proud to say I’m a New England Patriot and this place made me who I am today. And now to be part of its history is the greatest honor of my career.”0
“So thank you to the Kraft family, thank you to my coaches, thank you to my teammates, thank you to everyone behind the scenes, thank you to my friends and family, and thank you, Patriots nation, and thank you to football for giving me a life I could never have dreamed of. And I want to wish everyone a happy New Year. Coming up, Shanah Tovah and Foxborough forever. Thank you.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This transcript was done based on the available footage and is subject to typographical errors. If you spot anything, please let me know in the comments below.)
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