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Branch ripped

Former NFL receiver Jerry Rice made his debut on SIRIUS radio today as a co-host of the show "Afternoon Blitz." He made some waves with his comments on Patriots receiver Deion Branch, and his holdout from Patriots mandatory minicamp.

“That’s crazy. You go to minicamp, show your loyalty. Get in there and fight and show them you’ve still got it and you just need them to step up to the plate now," Rice said, according to a transcript prepared by SIRIUS.

"Why are you going to hold out? You are still under contract. It makes no sense. I did that once and I felt stupid. I really felt stupid because you are sitting on the outside looking in. You need to be there. You need that type of interaction with the team. You need to develop that chemistry.

“Get in there. Work your butt off. Prove yourself. Let them know, ‘I still control this area. This is what I do. This is the area where I play the best football.’ And he’s going to get compensated for that. But don’t hold out. I think it’s a big distraction and I think it is going to hurt him down the road.”