April 16 is a huge day for the New England Patriots.
On this day they selected quarterback Tom Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, which, as we all know, turned out to be a pretty good choice. Just look at the six Super Bowl banners on display at Gillette Stadium.
It's also Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's 69th birthday.
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Bill Belichick gives his take on loaded 2021 NFL Draft QB class
Recently retired Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman gave Belichick a special birthday shoutout with a heartfelt message on social media.
Check it out in the post below:
Belichick did give Edelman an opportunity as a seventh-round draft pick in 2009, and to the wide receiver's credit, he took full advantage of it and became one of the best players in franchise history.
When Edelman retired earlier this week, the first line of Belichick's statement read, “By any measure of what constitutes an elite NFL career – wins, championships, production – Julian has it all."
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There's clearly an enormous level of respect and admiration between the two men.