Patriots without Seymour after Johnson retires

By John Onan  |   Friday, July 29, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

New England Patriots
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Another day, another component missing from the New England Patriots defense. On Thursday, an integral veteran member of the defending Super Bowl champions' defense, Ted Johnson, announced his retirement. On Friday, Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour skipped practice in what could be the beginning of a long holdout. Both players were members of all three of New England's Super Bowl-winning squads this past decade.

Citing the effects of multiple concussions suffered during his career, Ted Johnson decided it was best for his long-term health to call it quits, "I'd love to still be playing. If I could play 10 more years I would. If my body would let me I would." Johnson has suffered from memory loss and difficulty sleeping as a result of at least a half dozen concussions.

Richard Seymour, showing displeasure over his current contract, was not in attendance at practice this morning. He also skipped mini-camp in June, while attempting to get the team to renegotiate the contract he signed as a rookie out of Georgia that still has two years remaining. Seymour has become a standout on the New England Patriots defense since being the sixth overall selection in the 2001 draft. He has been named to the Pro Bowl in three of his first four seasons. Seymour is subject to a $6,000 fine for each day he misses.

On a related note, the New England Patriots announced they've agreed to long-term deals with Seymour's back-up Jarvis Green along with outside linebacker Mike Vrabel.
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