Richard Seymour, the soon-to-be-enshrined New England Patriots' defensive tackle, describes his journey from high school to the Hall of Fame.
FOXBORO -- In 2000 when now all-time great head coach Bill Belichick took control of the New England Patriots, he brought about a legendary culture shift that defined a dynasty. Part of this involved cultivating elite homegrown talent -- and this included defensive tackle Richard Seymour.
Seymour, a four-year standout for the Georgia Bulldogs, was drafted by the Patriots in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft.
In just eight seasons with New England, Seymour accumulated five Pro Bowl appearances, three first-team all-pro nods, two second-team all-pro selections, a spot on the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, and most importantly three Super Bowl rings.
Throughout his prime, he was often looked at as the best defensive tackle in the NFL. It's no wonder, then, that he was nominated to the Patriots' Hall of Fame in October of 2021.
After spending years as a finalist, Seymour finally added the last remaining feather in his cap shortly after this year's Super Bowl: a nomination to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Seymour's bust will be presented by Titus Duren, his former high school principal at Lower Richland High School in Hopkins, South Carolina.
The soon-to-be Hall-of-Famer remarked on his relationship with Duren in a recent interview with Mike Reiss of ESPN:
Seymour will be officially enshrined into the Hall of Fame during the Class of 2022 Enshrinement Ceremony on August 6th.