Ex-mates express shock

Brady, Law take this hard

By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff, 9/3/2003

FOXBOROUGH -- Three of his closest friends are Tom Brady, Ty Law, and Tebucky Jones.

The degree of shock in their voices was off the charts when learning that Lawyer Milloy had been released by the Patriots yesterday in an effort to reach the league's mandatory cap limit of $74.6 million by 4 p.m. today.

Jones, of course, is long gone to New Orleans, where he was traded last spring, but he spoke to Milloy twice yesterday.

"We were talking about how we always hear this is a business and you never let that soak in until something like this happens to you," said Jones, the former Patriots defensive back. "To be honest, part of me wasn't that surprised because I knew some things that were going on around the time they traded me. But somehow I thought that would get resolved and Lawyer would be in New England with one of those gray beards hanging down to his knees. I thought he'd die there."

Brady, who said he was "about as surprised as you could possibly be," was visibly upset when he spoke to the media in the afternoon. Milloy had taken Brady under his wing and mentored him about life in the NFL.

Asked what this move does to the heart and soul of the team, Brady said, "It takes a big hit.

"It was a big surprise. He was a New England Patriot and he was what this team was all about. To see a guy like that go . . .

"I think with a guy like that, he did everything you could ever ask of a player and of a guy that represents this team and this franchise. He showed up every day, never missed a game, never missed a practice, never complained. He was one of those guys where you look into his eyes before the game and you knew exactly what you were going to get."

Brady called the NFL business "as cutthroat as cutthroat can be. Everyone worries about the loyalty to the player and at the same time we see what happens. "I saw it with Drew [Bledsoe] and with Otis [Smith] and with just a lot of guys. It is a tough business. It is really tough because there is never job security, and it is not actually based on your performance, either. You can play at a Pro Bowl level and you could show up every day on time and never complain and be a captain and a leader.

"It is not about if it will happen, it is just when it will happen to each player. I think it just hardens you a little bit and you become more guarded in your approach."

Law said he spoke to Milloy Monday, knowing this might come.

"He was like a brother to me; that's not just a teammate," said Law. "We knew one or both of us might be gone after next year. We thought we had one more year together. We dreamed that we'd both retire here.

"I thought we brought a lot to the table. We proved we were among the best at our position. We didn't know how it was going to unfold. Right now it's just a sour note. "We have to move on and still try to lead the younger guys as much as I can. I'll remember him as one of our fallen soldiers."

By now the Patriots normally would have elected their captains for the season, but there was a delay in the voting this year.

"I guess they knew this might be coming, and I guess they knew that Lawyer would be elected a cocaptain," said a player who wished not to be identified. "It's kind of clear now. We were wondering why, and now we know why."