Lawyer Milloy, who spent seven seasons with the New England Patriots, didn't have the ending to his tenure in Foxborough that he would've liked. Despite it nearly being two decades since it happened, Milloy reflected on Bill Belichick cutting him in 2003.
In an appearance on WEEI, Milloy spoke about what transpired before the 2003 NFL season:
“It was obviously a pivotal part of my life, my career, when you dedicated for so many years — I was there seven years — and helped really build it from the ground up to ultimately being a champion,” he said. “I think I went to my fourth Pro Bowl in five years and then I was given an ultimatum: either take a pay cut or leave it. That was up to discussion. I had good representation with Carl Poston and went the whole offseason — the last time I talked to Bill was in June right before the veteran (time) when you can go out and seek another team and we had a discussion. He said basically, ‘the worst-case scenario is you play out this year and we have to re-visit it after the season.’
Instead of waiting until the end of the season, the Patriots released Milloy after New England's final preseason game. After his release, the All-Pro safety joined the Buffalo Bills, with a chance to get back at his former team.
In Week 1 of the 2003 NFL season, Milloy helped the Bills defeat the Patriots 31-0. Still, Milloy had resentment toward Belichick and New England. However, the retired safety says he and Belichick have made up since.
Throughout this offseason, people have questioned how Belichick handled the situation with Tom Brady. Possibly, similar to the Milloy incident, Brady and Belichick will be close again someday.
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