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In 2001, Mo Lewis delivered a tackle that altered NFL history.
Lewis, who spent his entire pro career with the New York Jets, tackled then-New England Patriots starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe. The hit forced Bledsoe to exit the game, giving Tom Brady an opportunity to play. Brady took advantage of the chance, and Bledsoe never reclaimed the starting job.
While Lewis appeared to receive the lion’s share of the blame for sparking the two-decade run of unprecedented success Brady produced with the New England Patriots, the retired linebacker argued the fault should actually be assigned to Bledsoe.
In longtime NFL reporter Gary Myers’ book, “Brady vs. Belichick,” Lewis pointed to Bledsoe’s decision to scramble on the play.
“[Bledsoe] just signed a $100 million deal to be what type of quarterback? A passing quarterback, correct? Had he not got outside the pocket and ran with the ball, would we be talking about this? Who caused the event? The person who was with the ball,” Lewis noted.
“Now he’s doing what he didn’t sign up for. He signed up to be a passing quarterback. What do I do? I stop the people with the ball. It’s just another play for me. But it’s a different play for him.”
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Lewis gave chase as Bledsoe scrambled to try and gain enough yardage for a first down. The hit on Bledsoe was deemed legal, but many observers likely remembered the tackle due to its intensity.
Lewis stepped away from football after the 2003 season, and he’s largely avoided the media or public events affiliated with the Jets in the years since.
Lewis’ decision to live away from the spotlight centered on his frustration with being remembered mostly for the Bledsoe tackle instead of his overall career achievements, ESPN reported, citing Lewis’ teammates.
Lewis earned first-team All-Pro honors in 1998 and was selected to three Pro Bowls.
Lewis suggested he wasn’t personally affected by the fallout from the infamous play.
“It’s really irrelevant to me,” he said. “It was just another play to me. To you all, it’s a big game-changing, history-changing play. I’ve never gone back to watch the play. If people want to talk about it, I don’t hide from it. But it has no importance to me.”
Brady went on to win six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots. He left the franchise after the 2019 season and won his seventh championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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