The newest member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, Richard Seymour, says “all is well” with Bill Belichick.
Seymour can separate his business and personal relationships with Belichick 11 years after he was traded by New England.
Belichick and Seymour had some tough contract negotiations that eventually led the Patriots to deal the All-Pro defensive lineman to the then-Oakland Raiders in 2009.
“Well, Al Davis said he traded for me. So, that’s the way I look at it,” Seymour said laughing on a video conference call Monday.
There are no hard feelings between Seymour and Belichick.
“At the end of the day, the amount of respect that I had for Coach Belichick and still have to this day, it’s the difference between business and your personal life,” Seymour said. “Personally, it was always a ton of respect. Coach Belichick, he would always send Christmas gifts to the kids and little things like that. In terms of the business side of it, that’s just the business of the NFL. We saw that this year with all of the guys. 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. It may have seemed like there was some tension or something but in my mind, it’s no hard feelings. We talk and we see each other. He was shooting me a text. The team was here in Atlanta for a Super Bowl, I was with the team. All is well.”
Seymour was drafted by the Patriots in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame by fans on Monday when he beat out former head coach Bill Parcells and linebacker Mike Vrabel.
Seymour has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for two straight years. He hopes this enshrinement might soon spark his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
