Brown expected to announce retirement

FOXBOROUGH - Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he'd like to see Troy Brown retire a Patriot, and that appears to be what Brown is going to do.

The Patriots will hold a press conference at 10 today at Gillette Stadium with Brown, Kraft, and Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and at that time the 37-year-old Brown, who has not hooked on with another team after the Patriots decided not to offer him a contract for this season, is expected to announce his retirement after 15 NFL seasons.

A source with knowledge of the situation said last Saturday that Brown had decided he didn't want to play for any other team, and was planning on taking out an ad in the Boston newspapers thanking the fans.

Brown, who joined the team in 1993 as an eighth-round pick out of Marshall - the NFL draft is now only seven rounds - is the Patriots' all-time leader in receptions with 557 and held the team's season record for receptions with 101 until Wes Welker broke it last season with 112. Brown is also the team's career leader in punt returns (252) and punt return yardage (2,625).

Brown's 15 years as a Patriot are second only to Steve Grogan's 16. Brown is perhaps best remembered for his selfless versatility. In 2004, with the Patriots decimated at cornerback, Brown switched to defense and had three interceptions, becoming the first Patriot to record a reception and an interception in the same game. He also had cornerback cameos in 2005 and '06.

When asked last Saturday at the team's Hall of Fame induction ceremony about Brown's plans, Kraft hinted at a possible announcement.

"Troy Brown is the prototype of what I'd like every Patriot to be," said Kraft. "Just the kind of person he is. I hope the fans agree that when he is eligible he'll have one of these red [Patriots Hall of Fame] jackets. I'm so happy he didn't go to another team. You look at all the great players, even [Joe] Montana, [Brett] Favre, a year or two they go somewhere and they finish. You don't think of Joe Montana as a Chief."