The Aug. 1 edition of "Patriots Video News" reported that defensive tackle Richard Seymour, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, has been playing with the injury for that last three years.
Seymour told PVN's Dave Querzoli that he sustained the injury while in college but didn't want to affect his draft status by having surgery then. He added the injury prevented him from lifting at times and affected his ability to rush the passer.
After a strong rookie season, Seymour finally felt the time was right to get the problem fixed, no doubt leaving many opposing offensive linemen even more concerned about their prospects of blocking him. During the piece, Seymour claimed he really couldn't get much of a pass rush because of the injury. Despite that, he still recorded three sacks and applied plenty of pressure in 2001.
