Bruschi’s last call?

Linebacker thinking about retirement

NFL. Sunday could mark the final game of Tedy Bruschi’s career.

The beloved linebacker, in his 12th season with the Patriots, acknowledged he’s reached the stage in life where he’s wondering about his post-football career.

“After every season, I sort of reassess things. I look at people who put it off to this offseason already, like [Indy Head Coach] Tony Dungy and [Seattle Head Coach] Mike Holmgren,” said Bruschi, who will be playing in the fifth Super Bowl of his career this weekend.

“What they do is they sit back. They sort of reassess and make decisions with their families. That’s what I’ll do.”
For many, it’s hard to imagine the Patriots without Bruschi.

Taken in the third round of the 1996 draft out of Arizona, the undersized defensive lineman made the switch to middle linebacker and never looked back.

Through it all — most memorably his stroke three years ago and his emotional return to the field shortly after — the California native and Arizona alum has become an adopted son of New England.

In many ways, he’s become emblematic of the New England franchise, the emotional centerpiece of a team.

“I’ll always remember being on the field and starting next to Tedy that game after he came back from a stroke,” fellow linebacker Mike Vrabel recalled. “I’ll remember the reaction from the fans and the reaction from the players.

“It was special.”

But almost four months shy of his 35th birthday, life after football is something Bruschi finds himself thinking about more and more.

“Whatever it is that I want to do, I still want to be in the game,” he said. “I think that playing it for as long as I have now, I do have some expertise on it, so either coaching it, or talking about it or doing something in the front office, something about still being in the game.”