PHOTO:
New England Patriot Rodney Harrison shows off his new Super Bowl XXXIX Championship
Ring at the Champioship Ring Ceremony hosted by team owner Robert Kraft at his
home in Brookline, Mass., Sunday June 12, 2005. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
The Spoils of Success
Most of the articles
today include observations of the players who took a stroll down the red carpet
at the Kraft residence. The guest list included the Patriots all-pro defensive
lineman Richard Seymour who just completed a protest over his contract by skipping
minicamp this past weekend. Along with the questions that surround Seymour's status
with the team, were ones about linebacker Tedy Bruschi who continues to recover
from a mild stroke he suffered this offseason. Both Bruschi and Seymour made brief
comments to the media about their situations.
Of course team leader Tom Brady showed up well dressed with his ever-gorgeous significant other, actress
Bridget Moynihan in tow. Brady, particular enjoys this event among the other red
carpet festivities he and his gal-pal enjoy. "This is the best night of the
year," Brady said.
Seymour was mum on his contract status telling those
in attendance that the night was reserved for the ring celebration and there was
no room for questions about his contract status. The story from The Boston Globe
has his comments. ''I won't speak about my contract," Seymour repeated. ''I
love the organization. I love the fans here in New England. I love my teammates;
my teammates love me. This is a night of champions, and we're champions."
Team
owner Robert Kraft appeared pleased that Seymour at least came to the ceremony
in spite of his contract situation. ''He RSVP'd he was coming," Kraft said.
''He's a terrific guy and someone who made a great contribution. So we're happy
he's here."
Bruschi, who has made a few public appearances since his
stroke, was in good spirits according to reports. He showed the human side so
many of his fans have come to love about him when he responded to questions about
his own situation. ''My family and I are worried about my health, and we're just
making sure I'm getting better and that's the only thing we're focusing on right
now, Bruschi told the media.
The linebacker was not made available to the
media during minicamp, but reportedly has been regularly attending team meetings.
His new teammates Chad Brown and Monty Beisel have talked about Bruschi's help
mentoring them as they learn the new system.
Also in attendance for the
ceremony were former Patriots; Ty Law, David Patten, Roman Phifer and the team's
assistant coaches Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis.
Around Town
Charity
events were the norm for some Patriots players prior to the Super Bowl celebration
at the Kraft residence. Current and former Patriots players played against an
assortment of local firefighters in Millis "Millis
firefighters take on Patriots" to raise funds for an honorable cause.
Patriots Insider reporter Tim Coughlin made the trek to the other Patriots
charity event this weekend, a basketball game against the athletic
department boosters at Marlborough High School. Coughlin spoke to Patriots
reserve quarterback Rohan Davey, who looks more "mini-Shaq" than field
general.
The Running Back Mix
In other news, Patriots Insider
will be bringing you more interviews with some of the players hoping to land a
spot on the roster, including former Arkansas running back DeCori Birmingham who
talks about his college career and life for a rookie at minicamp in Q
& A with DeCori Birmingham : LINK
More
Thoughts on Contracts
Also, PI editor Jon Scott had a conversation with
James Lavin, author of Management Secrets of the New England Patriots,
(www.patriotsbook.com) regarding the contract status of players like Seymour and
Rodney Harrison. Lavin shares his thoughts on Seymour's decision to skip minicamp,
and Harrison's lack of top tier compensation for one of the biggest contributors
to the teams defensive success.
Both those articles should be on PI later
today, along with another installment of Patriots
Minicamp Photos not found on other news sites.
You
can find the original article with all links enabled or on PatriotsInsider.com
URL: http://www.patriots.scout.com
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the Forums
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