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Find out more about Mark: Mark has been a Boston sports fan for his entire life. He is passionate about all sports, both locally and nationally. After recently graduating from Salve Regina University, Mark is starting his career in sports media at Examiner.com. |
As many of you know by now, the Patriots lost in an overtime thriller to the rival New York Jets last night. With all of the sports talk around the nation being focused on Matt Cassel, Brett Favre, or Leon Washington’s performances last night, one star once again flew under the radar; Troy Brown.
Brown then approached the podium after a thunderous ovation. He opened by saying “One more time…we got bingo!” He then immediately thanked the fans, and told them that even though he wouldn’t be around, any time they missed him they can look at the three championship banners and remember the blood, sweat, and tears that went into earning those banners. He closed his address by saying “I did it for my city."
By this time the players were already back on the field warming up for the second half. Jets punter Reggie Hodges was even punting the ball over the stage to a coach on the other side.
Brown left as anonymously as he came, when he was an eighth round pick out of Marshall. But those fans in attendance will never forget all he did for this franchise. He played with more heart than nearly anyone in the NFL.
It was this passion that allowed him to rejoin the Patriots after being cut from the team following the 1993 preseason. But just like he did for the rest of his career, he never gave up. This eighth round pick who was cut in his first preseason rejoined the team later in the season did not leave until he set a franchise record for receptions with 557.
He leaves Foxboro as the team’s all-time leading receiver (2nd in yardage). He returned kickoffs and punts. He played special teams. He even played defense when asked, and was pretty good at it. Troy Brown was a football player. He always gave everything he had whenever the team needed him. And he did it for his city.
New England will miss Troy Brown, but whenever they need a reminder, they can just look at the three championship banners he helped earn. Last night at Gillette Stadium, his city did it for him.
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