FOXBORO, Mass. — If Richard Seymour was telling the truth Sunday afternoon — and there’s no reason to believe he wasn’t — he got to pick the weekend for his New England Patriots Hall of Fame induction.
That was a message the legendary defensive lineman relayed at halftime while speaking to the Gillette Stadium crowd.
At that point, he dropped the dagger, saying he chose this weekend because the Patriots were playing the New York Jets, so it would be like a homecoming game. Translation: He knew the Patriots would be pummeling the Jets by the time he spoke.
To his credit, he was right. It was 31-7 at halftime, and the Pats ultimately beat the brakes off the Jets to the tune of 54-13.
Made abreast of Seymour’s clear shade, the Jets wouldn’t engage.
“That’s how he feels,” safety Marcus Maye said. “Respect to him, but that’s all. That’s it.”
“I’ve got nothing for that,” defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said. “Hats off to Richard Seymour, a great player, I watched a lot of his tape and still do as the football junkie that I am. But yeah, I don’t have anything to say about that. Again, hats off to him, he had a great career.”
Who knows if the Jets would’ve responded differently had they not just gotten knocked around? That’s a bridge that will never be crossed, though.
Too bad.
