Bruschi to tackle NFL for ESPN

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Tedy Bruschi, who enjoyed a long career with the New England Patriots and won three Super Bowl rings, is joining ESPN's stable of NFL analysts.

Bruschi

ESPN made the announcement Tuesday, saying Bruschi will provide NFL analysis on ESPNBoston.com, the network's new local sports site, and appear on "NFL Live," "SportsCenter," ESPN Radio and other ESPN platforms.

ESPNBoston.com launches on Monday, the day the Patriots play their season opener on "Monday Night Football" against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.

"Tedy Bruschi has embodied the Patriots and their unrivaled success the past decade, and we are thrilled that this three-time Super Bowl champion is joining our roster of NFL experts as well as ESPNBoston.com, which will give New England sports fans a stable of authentic and familiar Boston voices when it launches Monday," said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, production.

Bruschi retired last month after 13 seasons of playing linebacker and being the leader of New England's defense, saying he was simply too old and found his "body doesn't heal as quickly."

"I'm very excited to be joining the ESPN team. I hope to bring my passion and knowledge for the game as an analyst just as I did as a player," Bruschi said in a statement. "I look forward to the national exposure of covering the entire league while also having the opportunity to stay close to my roots here with ESPNBoston.com."

Bruschi is equally as well known for his determination off the field. After suffering a mild stroke in February 2005, he endured months of rehabilitation before he was medically cleared to play and returned to the Patriots' lineup in October for the seventh game of that season after having surgery for a hole in his heart.

"I was retired," he said at the time. "I didn't think it was possible."

At the end of that season, Bruschi was named the 2005 NFL Comeback Player of the Year and received both the Ed Block Courage Award and the Maxwell Football Club's Spirit Award.

Bruschi also has been named to NFL.com's All-Interview Team for accessibility to the media, and he has been one of the most active Patriots players in the greater Boston community. When his retirement announcement was made, Patriots coach Bill Belichick called him "the perfect player," and team owner Robert Kraft, citing "executive privilege," promptly named him honorary defensive captain of the franchise's 50th Anniversary Team.

Bruschi played in 189 regular-season games, more than any linebacker in Patriots history. His 631 total tackles over the past six seasons were the most on the team. For his career, he had 1,134 tackles, 30½ sacks and 12 interceptions, four of them touchdowns.

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