On August 30, 2009, New England Patriot fans’ were shocked to learn that one of the best linebackers in the NFL, Tedy Bruschi, announced his retirement after 13 years. The 3 time super bowl winner’s decision came after the patriot’s third preseason game. If no one saw the game, it was clear that he was off his game and no longer effective. Bruschi was the best thing that happened to the Patriots in a long time and helped New England to three super bowls. Now with Tedy in retirement, it leaves running back Kevin Faulk, as the longest tenured Patriot.
Tedy Brushci has a long and very successful career in the NFL. Brushci played college football at the University of Arizona as a defensive end. He tied the NCAA Division 1-A sack record with 52 sacks and won numerous awards for his achievements. In 1996, he was drafted by the New England Patriots, were he stayed for his entire NFL career. In 2001, he started nine out of 15 regular season games at linebacker and finished third on the team with 73 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions.
Brushci really shined during the 2002-2004 regular season games. He was named team captain by his teammates during those years. In the 2002 season, he became the first linebacker to reach the end zone twice in one season. In the 2003 season, he was named AFC Defensive player of the week twice and three times in 2004. During all these seasons, Tedy finished each season either second or third in the category of tackles for quarterback sacks.
After playing in the 2005 Pro Bowl, Tedy Brushci was taken to a hospital with symptoms including temporary numbness, blurred vision, and headaches which were revealed to be a stroke. After several months of treatment, Bruschi returned and to everyone surprise, he was active after the first regular season game and finished the season out. He continued playing for the Patriots, being named team captain for the seasons of 2006-2008. He is tied fourth in NFL history among linebackers and he is the only Patriot’s line backer to return multiple intercepts for touchdowns (2002, 2003 seasons).
During the press conference of Tedy Bruschi’s retirement, Patriot’s head coach Bill Belichick showed a different side of himself that is not showed often. He spoke of Bruschi as “The perfect player”.
