Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Players in any sport come and go. They burst onto the scene, some play over 10 years while other fizzle out faster than a tiki torch on a blustery day.
But some also leave a lasting impression about what's right in sports. New England Patriots inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who announced his retirement today, was that type of player.
While Bruschi, who played in the NFL for 13 seasons, didn't really ever wow you with his overall stats (although that 2004 Super Bowl season when he went to his first and only Pro Bowl after making 128 tackles was as good as it gets), he was that rare player that always made his teammates better, he was classy on and off the field and he was a guy that seemed like all of us -- a regular, hard-working guy.
But Bruschi was so much more.
He had a heart of a champion and was a three-time world champion with the Pats -- the only team he ever played for which is extremely rare in today's sports world.
His story even was played off the football field, as Bruschi had a stroke shortly after the 2005 Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles.
To no one's surprise, Bruschi beat the odds and returned to the game he loved. We, as fans, loved him too, and it was a special time to see good old No. 54 back in the middle cracking heads with the opponent.
Yes, Bruschi's skills as a linebacker had been diminishing for the last few years, but it happens to everyone. He's 36 now, he reached the ultimate level of play individually and as a team, and it's only second nature to start tailing off.
But I'll always remember the young-at-heart Bruschi playing with passion, desire and a will to win -- all with a team-first mentality. For a player to be involved in such a tough guy's sport, it wasn't out of the norm to see Bruschi smiling on the field and helping someone up after he drove them into the ground. That was Tedy. He had an unquestioned love of the game that rubbed off on his teammates and it found its way into my home.
He was damn good, don't let anyone else tell you differently.
Tedy, you've done a great job being a role model by how you've conducted yourself on and off the field. You're what's right about sports today.
Good luck in the next phase of your life with your children and wife, and thanks for all the great memories in that Patriots uniform. You'll never be forgotten.
You're a true Patriot.
