Before the ceremony, former teammate Willie McGinest stated Richard Seymour earned the nickname, “Hulk” within the locker room as a result of the Patriots defensive finish morphed into a unique participant when he stepped on the sector.
On Saturday, Seymour as soon as once more morphed into one thing else.
A Hall of Fame participant.
Or, as Seymour stated, he now has a spot in “football heaven.”
The honor, the immortal standing, the bronze bust, the gold jacket was well-earned and well-deserved, as Seymour was formally enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio with the 2022 class.
Seymour gained entry alongside Tony Boselli, the late Cliff Branch, LeRoy Butler, Art McNally, the late Sam Mills, Dick Vermeil and Bryant Young.
He started his speech by recognizing his classmates.
“I’m overwhelmed today with humility. Not because of what this moment says about me, but what this moment says about we, and what we can do together,” he stated. “I’m overwhelmed today with gratitude, because I didn’t get here alone. None of us did. None of us could have. Class of ’22, they say you can judge a man by the company he keeps. I couldn’t be among better company than you. It’s a privilege to have my name bound with yours in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
Seymour spoke for almost 10 minutes, and simply as he had forecast within the weeks forward, his speech revolved across the journey towards this second, one he known as “the greatest of his life.”
He spoke eloquently about his household, his teammates, Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft, the group, head coach Bill Belichick, in addition to late Raiders proprietor Al Davis. He talked about how each was an integral a part of his Hall of Fame experience.
He began off paying tribute to his spouse Tanya, their 4 youngsters (RJ, Kayla, Kennedy and London) and his mother and father.
“Football may be what I do,” he stated, choking again emotion, “but family is who I am … scripture teaches your riches are in your family … and this day belongs to my family.”
Seymour shared a shaggy dog story how his mom drove him to his first soccer tryout 31 years in the past, “and I didn’t even get out of the car.”
Fortunately, the story didn’t finish there.
Seymour stated his mom believed in him, when he didn’t imagine in himself, whereas his late father taught him the worth of laborious work and self-discipline. That mixture led to him placing on a gold jacket three a long time later.
He stated his mother and father instilled in him a very powerful factor in life: “As a friend and teammate, as a husband and dad, as a man, it’s to stand for something. To live by your values and to lead by example and most importantly to keep God first.”
That was the proper segue into the University of Georgia star being drafted as a Patriot because the sixth total decide in 2001.
Seymour wished to go someplace heat, however New England ultimately received him over thanks, partially, to what the group stood for.
“When the Patriots selected me 6th overall, it was one of the luckiest breaks of my life,” he stated. “For one, I found that my family’s values were at the heart of the Patriots’ values. I was fortunate to join a veteran team, because I had a lot to learn.”
Seymour acknowledged teammates Willie McGinest, Rodney Harrison, Otis Smith, fellow Hall of Famer Ty Law, who was available, Mike Vrabel and Anthony Pleasant.
He was grateful that they shared their knowledge and expertise in addition to the nuances of the sport.
“And we had a young quarterback,” Seymour added, playfully referencing Tom Brady, “and we made it work.”
Seymour stated the Patriot groups he was on that received three Super Bowls at all times had an edge, and that edge was their tradition.
“We felt a sense of responsibility to each other, a sense of obligation,” he stated. “None of us wished to be the particular person to let the workforce down, to let our brothers down, and that outlined us. We by no means cared who obtained the accolades, so long as we obtained the ‘W.’’’
Seymour then lauded Kraft as the most effective house owners in sports activities, and acknowledged the case for his former boss, a finalist on subsequent yr’s Hall poll, to realize entry.
“To the entire Kraft family, you showed us being consistent in the little things added up to the big things, always with heart and humanity,” Seymour stated, each Robert and Jonathan Kraft, who had been in attendance.
Seymour thanked Kraft for being a mentor, and pricey good friend.
“You, too, will grace this stage,” he stated, as Kraft regarded on, and acknowledged Seymour’s sentiment.
Next up was Belichick.
Seymour thanked him for being instrumental in getting him to Canton, calling him “the best coach in the game.”
“The lessons I learned from you set me up for success, not just in the game, but in life,” stated Seymour. “Work hard, be meticulous in your preparation, support your teammates, respect your opponents, and put the team first.”
Asked not way back what made Seymour a particular participant, Belichick responded: “Everything.”
While Seymour’s stats won’t have been flashy, anybody who watched Patriots video games throughout his eight years with the workforce noticed a dominant participant, one who might be moved wherever on the road and nonetheless make an influence.
Seymour’s ultimate taking part in days had been spent in Oakland, after being traded to the Raiders in 2009.
He stated spending his final 4 years in Oakland beneath the legendary Davis was “an unexpected gift,” having grown up a Raider fan.
The Hulk, nonetheless, is generally recognized as being a Patriot, as he turned the tenth participant from the franchise, and second from the early 2000s championship groups, together with Law, to realize entry.
“For the last 31 years, football, our game, has afforded me possibilities I never could have imagined,” Seymour stated in closing. “And with that privilege comes profound responsibility, the responsibility of stewardship. The responsibility to put others first, to take care of the details, to keep learning, to keep giving, for the long-term strength of our game.”
Seymour selected his highschool principal, Titus Duren, to be his Hall of Fame presenter.
“He has overcome obstacles to be a Pro Football Hall of Famer, as well as the person he is,” Duren stated previous to assembly Seymour on stage to unveil the bust. “You’ll find no better person in life, than Richard Seymour.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com