FOXBORO -- As Troy Brown gets ready to officially be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame this weekend at Gillette Stadium, coach Bill Belichick praised the man that literally defined someone who factored into all three phases of the game.
"On behalf of the team and personally, I'd like to congratulate Troy on his selection to the Patriots Hall of Fame," said Belichick. "It's certainly a great tribute to a player that really deserves the recognition. I had the great pleasure and honor, really, of coaching him.
"He was here in '96, my first year here when I was coaching the defensive backs, working against him every day in practice as a secondary coach. Then as a head coach, just having him on the team in the important role that he had, as a player, captain, a veteran player, and ultimately a player that played in all three phases of the game -- offense, defense, and special teams -- very well. He ahd some very big games.
"He's meant a lot to me. He's meant a lot to this football team and the organization. And congratulations to Troy and his family. It's well deserved."
Brown spent his entire career -- 15 seasons -- with the Patriots after being drafted in the eighth round (198th overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft. He retired as the team's all-time leading receiver with 557 receptions and all-time leading punt returner with 252 career returns. He finished second in team history with 6,366 career receiving yards.