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© 2025 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Sunday, May 3, 2026

The Life And Career Of Richard Seymour

Ben Donahue
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The Life And Career Of Richard Seymour
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

 

Richard Seymour didn’t begin playing football until his freshman year in high school.

Before then, his weight was the reason keeping him from the gridiron as the adults didn’t want him to hurt his peers.

However, when he did finally play, Seymour became a local legend known for laying the hurt on opposing ball carriers.

By the end of his senior year, colleges from across the land were begging for Seymour to join them.

He picked the University of Georgia and ended up as one quarter of a talented Bulldogs defensive line where all four would be future first-round NFL Draft picks.

After getting selected as the sixth overall pick in the 2001 draft by New England, Seymour continued his good football fortune by helping the franchise win three Super Bowls (and losing another in heart-breaking fashion).

Following his retirement after the 2012 season, Seymour was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and spends his days playing poker as a hobby.

He’s also a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders alongside his former Patriots teammate, Tom Brady.

This is the story of Richard Seymour.

 

Growing Up Big in South Carolina

Richard Vershaun Seymour was born on October 6, 1979, in Gadsden, South Carolina.

From the very beginning Seymour was big for his age and weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds at birth.

By the time he was old enough to play youth football, Richard was too heavy to play against the kids in his age group.

Unfortunately, he was also too young to play against kids that were his size.

To pass the time until he was old enough, Seymour played basketball, dabbled in karate and worked for his dad in construction during the summers.

It wasn’t until he enrolled as a freshman at Lower Richland High School in Hopkins, South Carolina that Seymour could finally put on pads.

“I really wanted to play because my father and all my uncles had played,” Seymour recalled in 2004, “but I couldn’t play until my ninth-grade year.”

He was a bit chubby at the time, but went through a growth spurt as a sophomore and came into his own with the Diamond Hornets.

The year before Seymour began at Lower Richmond, the football program won the state championship.

Seymour’s time with the program coincided with the Diamond Hornets swift descent.

“We didn’t have a very good record when I was there,” Seymour said, “but just to go there, you know? Friday nights at the stadium were such a big deal.”

 

Seymour Chooses the Bulldogs

University of Georgia bulldogs logo

 

When he was a senior, Seymour was well over six feet tall and north of 200 pounds.

His strength and speed on defense was scary (83 tackles and eight sacks his final year) but he was also well respected by his peers leading to a captaincy.

Seymour was no slouch in the classroom, especially with a grandfather who was an educator.

“Young Richard was very studious and focused,” said Mark Kirkland, an assistant principal of the school.

As his final prep season came to a close, Seymour was named All-Area and All-Region, and in 2018, he was inducted into the South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

During the 1997 Shrine Bowl that pitted graduating ball players from North and South Carolina, Seymour did very well and he soon had his pick of colleges.

His father, Richard Sr., helped his son wade through all the choices.

The University of Georgia was the first school to offer him a scholarship and the Seymours’ liked the Bulldogs defensive line coach at the time, Rodney Garner.

That relationship led Seymour Jr. to accept Georgia’s offer.

 

Making an Early Impact

When Seymour arrived for his first year of college he was only 17 and wouldn’t turn 18 until the middle of the football season.

He joined a very talented program that had multi-position star Champ Bailey primarily lined up as a corner and future Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart also in the secondary.

Initially, then-head coach Jim Donnan thought about redshirting Seymour but reconsidered.

“He was such a young guy coming out that we thought about redshirting him,” Donnan said in 2004. “He was very mobile for a guy that big.”

Instead, he suited up for his first game as a Bulldog despite having shoe trouble.

By the time the training staff found a pair of cleats that would fit Seymour’s large feet, it was almost game time, but the shoes were the wrong color of red.

“They were more of a burgundy,” Seymour said.

As a college rookie, Seymour didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.

“He had such a big foot that we didn’t have any that fit,” said Donnan. “And he didn’t want to wear a pair that didn’t look like all the other players.”

The staff quickly found spray paint that matched Georgia’s red and transformed Seymour’s shoes right before he took the field.

As a freshman, Seymour helped the Bulldogs to a 10-2 record and a 33-6 blowout victory over Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.

In 1998, Georgia and Seymour went 9-3 and defeated the Virginia Cavaliers by two points in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

 

Becoming an All-American

Seymour took to college well and enjoyed every aspect of university life.

“I wouldn’t trade my college experience for anything,” he said. “I even enjoyed going to class, and I enjoyed the atmosphere. You know, you’re on your own, but you’re not really on your own. It’s not like ‘Welcome to the real world,’ but it’s a good prep test.”

In return, Seymour gave back to the university by developing into one of the best defensive linemen in the nation.

“He always showed unbelievable character,” Garner [Seymour’s position coach] said. “He wanted to be the best, and he showed that from Day One.”

The 1999 season had Seymour on the same line as future first round NFL Draft pick, junior Marcus Stroud, and freshman Charles Grant, who would also be a future first-rounder.

During Georgia’s 8-4 season, and victory over Purdue in the Outback Bowl, Seymour led the team with 74 tackles.

That made him only the second D-lineman in program history to lead the Bulldogs in tackles for a single season.

For his troubles, “Big Smooth” was chosen as a first-team All-SEC selection.

At the end of the year, his teammates made Seymour their captain.

In 2000, the Bulldogs added a new member to their vicious front four with freshman Johnathan Sullivan, yet another future first-round NFL pick.

Georgia went 8-4 again and beat Virginia in the Oahu Bowl, 37-14.

Seymour ended his college career by being honored as a first-team All-American along with a second straight first-team All-SEC.

The four-year letterman had 233 total tackles, 26 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks in his career.

He was later named a UGA Legend, a Legend of SEC Football and added to the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame.

“The University of Georgia was the first major college to offer me a scholarship,” recalled Seymour. “Football gave me an opportunity to live out my dreams.  It’s always had a very special place in my heart.”

In 2017, Seymour established a scholarship to the school in his family’s name and made a contribution to Sanford Stadium.

“I’m really grateful for the blessings I have received from the University of Georgia,” said Seymour.  “This is just a small token back that I can bless another young man’s life and give him the opportunities that I had helping him be successful in life.  I’m humbled and grateful that I am able to do this.”

 

New England Takes Seymour 6th Overall

New England Patriots helmet
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

 

In 2000, the New England Patriots had the 17th-best defense in the NFL.

Then-head coach Bill Belichick was already known for his defensive acumen and he looked for upgrades to the unit in the 2001 NFL Draft.

With the sixth overall selection the Pats took Seymour, who by then tipped the scales at 6’6” and 300+ pounds.

“He has a tremendous upside,” [Seymour’s Georgia position coach] Garner said. “He’s a young kid who wasn’t redshirted. He possesses all the ability and when he gets the power base, who knows what he can do? The thing people don’t know about him is the intangibles he brings. He’s a better person than he is a player.”

Seymour was giddy at the opportunity to help the Pats while acknowledging that he still had a lot to learn at the age of 21.

“I definitely think I’m still developing at this point,” he said. “My game is only getting better so I am just trying to go in and learn the system from the coaches and the other players. I’m an active player who is always around the football and one that wants to get better. I’m a tall, athletic pass rusher who can take on the run and take on the double teams and do whatever I’m asked to do.”

Belichick was impressed with the young kid and gave glowing accolades.

“He has been a good, consistent hard worker — one of the hardest workers on their [Georgia] team,” Belichick said. “He’s a very smart guy and seems to have a lot of flexibility and versatility within our system.”

After starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of action in Week 2 of the ‘01 season, second-year quarterback Tom Brady stepped up.

He and the now improved sixth-ranked defense led the team to an 11-5 record and a highly unexpected victory over the high-flying St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

As a rookie, Seymour started 10 games at defensive tackle and had 45 combined tackles, three sacks, one pass defended and one fumble recovery.

He was named to the PFWA’s All-Rookie Team.

 

More Super Bowls For Seymour and New England

Richard Seymour of the New Engand Patriots gestures during the game
Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire/Allsport

 

Before Seymour’s first year in the pros, Belichick tried to come up with a way to measure how his rookie would do in the NFL.

“When you look back at any top 10 pick, you say, ‘Was the guy a good player or not?’ That’s the bottom line,” Belichick said. “I don’t know if any of us can remember who was taken sixth, seventh or eighth in 1992, 1994 or 1996, but I think we have an idea of who the good players are and in the end, that’s what he’ll be measured by.”

It took very little time for “Big Sey” to show he was something special.

During his second season, in fact, Seymour was arguably the best defensive lineman on the Patriots.

He was voted to his first Pro Bowl after bagging 56 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, three passes defended and even picking off a pass.

In November, Seymour blocked kicks in two straight games.

Although New England missed the postseason in 2002, they were back in 2003 after reaching 14 wins for the first time in team history.

That year, Belichick changed the New England defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 base and moved Seymour to defensive end (and he was named a defensive captain).

Seymour was voted to the Pro Bowl again and received first-team All-Pro honors that year with 56 tackles, a career-best 10 passes defended and eight sacks while also blocking two more kicks.

The Pats marched through the playoffs and dispatched the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII, 32-29.

Before the 2004 season, Seymour received devastating news that his father, Richard Sr., shot and killed a woman he was dating before taking his own life.

The incident occurred as Richard Jr. was planning his wedding.

Belichick, team owner Robert Kraft, and a large contingent of teammates attended the funeral, bonding the organization even more.

“Football is a part of my life, but my life is also part of the lives of the people I know, and their lives are a part of mine,” said Seymour. “It’s all together, and that’s a good thing. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Seymour played through his grief and disrupted offenses to the tune of eight sacks, 56 tackles and a fumble return for a score, leading to another first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nod.

New England went 14-2 again and repeated as world champs with a 24-21 win over Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX.

 

Five Consecutive Pro Bowls

The next two years saw Seymour continue his assault on opponents.

In 2005, while New England went 10-6 and lost in the divisional round to Denver, the defensive end had 47 tackles combined, four sacks and four passes defended.

Before 2006, he signed a three-year extension worth $30 million.

Then, he added 41 total tackles, four sacks, eight passes defended and an interception that year.

Both seasons garnered Seymour Pro Bowls and All-Pro designations.

During a year where the Pats went 12-4 and lost in the AFC Championship game, Seymour stepped on Indianapolis Colts tackle Tarik Glenn during a Week 9 contest.

Big Sey was fined $7,500 for the incident and he expressed anger that Glenn had repeatedly dived at his knees during the game.

He later apologized to Glenn.

 

Seymour and New England Come Up Short in 2007

Defensive end Richard Seymour #93 of the New England Patriots gets in a three- point stance
(Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

 

Just before the 2007 NFL Draft kicked off the following spring, New England made a trade for then-Oakland receiver Randy Moss.

With Brady throwing Moss deep passes, the Pats offense was the best in the NFL and Seymour (who missed the first six weeks of the year while recovering from knee surgery) and the defense were ranked fourth.

So much talent on both sides of the ball led to a 16-0 regular season and victories over Jacksonville and San Diego in the playoffs.

All that remained for the Pats to secure just the second undefeated record in NFL history was the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

During a tough day where the game was 7-3 (favoring New England) at halftime, the contest ultimately came down to one of the most memorable plays in the contest’s history.

After Moss caught a six-yard pass from Brady for a touchdown in the fourth that led to a 14-10 lead, the Giants took over with under three minutes remaining.

G-Men quarterback Eli Manning was nearly picked off on the drive and New York faced a third-and-five on their own 44 yard line with 1:15 left.

When the ball was snapped, the Pats pass rush nearly gobbled up Manning.

Seymour was the first to reach the signal-caller and fellow defenders Jarvis Green and Adalius Thomas also met at the QB.

With the help of Giants center Shaun O’Hara knocking Seymour off course, Manning somehow broke free from the scrum.

He then chucked a pass in the direction of teammate David Tyree and the receiver pinned the ball to his helmet while battling New England safety Rodney Harrison.

The result was a 32-yard gain and a first down.

“The whole thing was like slow motion,” Jarvis Green said months later. “I said to myself, What in the hell just happened? I made big plays all year for my team, and that had to be the biggest play I didn’t make.”

A few plays later, Manning spied receiver Plaxico Burress for a 13-yard touchdown and an upset 17-14 win.

 

Seymour is Traded to the Raiders

Defensive tackle Richard Seymour #92 of the Oakland Raiders enlists the crowd
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

 

In 2008, the Patriots fully intended to repeat their extraordinary feats from the previous year and get their world championship.

Those lofty dreams came drastically undone in Week 1 of the season when Brady was felled by a Kansas City Chiefs defender and tore his ACL.

Just like that, he was done for the remainder of the year.

Backup Matt Cassel did an admirable job filling in, helping the franchise reach an 11-5 record but missing the playoffs based on tiebreakers.

Seymour started 15 games, tallied 51 tackles and tied his career high of eight sacks.

He was still with the organization through training camp in 2009 before Belichick made a difficult decision and traded him to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a first-round pick in 2011.

“From nearly the day he arrived in 2001, Richard Seymour established himself as one of our premier players for nearly a decade,” said Belichick. “His presence has been felt as a force on the field, a respected man off it and a multiyear champion.”

Seymour was shocked by the news and upset that he was suddenly a member of a team that didn’t have near the pedigree of New England.

He initially refused to report to the Raiders and Oakland threatened to move him to the reserve/left team list.

That designation would mean no team could sign him in ‘09 and he couldn’t become a free agent until he played with Oakland in 2010.

Finally, Seymour showed up on September 12, two days before the team’s Week 1 date against San Diego.

His first game in a Raiders uniform resulted in six tackles and two sacks on Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers.

Starting all 16 games for the first time since 2002, Seymour had 47 combined tackles, four sacks and three passes defended for 5-11 Oakland.

 

A few More Pro Bowls, then Retirement

Retirement

 

In 2010, the Raiders started with a 5-4 record as the team went into its bye week.

During their first game back against quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seymour punched Big Ben and was ejected from the game.

Oakland lost and Seymour was fined $25,000.

The loss was part of a 3-4 finish and an 8-8 record.

Still, Seymour returned to the Pro Bowl based on his 48 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two passes defended and one fumble recovery returned for 13 yards.

Another Pro Bowl was in the cards for Seymour in 2011 when he had 29 tackles, six sacks and three passes defended, also bringing a second-team All-Pro accolade.

Through the first eight weeks of 2012, Seymour had 15 tackles and three sacks and a $15,750 fine for hitting former Pats teammate, Matt Cassel, then playing for the Chiefs, in Week 8.

He then sustained an injury and missed the second half of the year.

Following Oakland’s 4-12 season, the Raiders voided what remained of Seymour’s contract and he became a free agent.

The Atlanta Falcons pursued him heavily but ultimately decided against signing the veteran.

At that moment, Seymour chose to retire.

During his 12-year career, Seymour had 498 total tackles, 91 tackles for loss, 57.5 sacks, eight fumble recoveries for 81 return yards and a touchdown, four forced fumbles, 39 passes defended and two interceptions for six return yards.

He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro, three-time Super Bowl champ, PFWA All-Rookie Team member and was later added to the NFLs 2000s All-Decade Team, Patriots All-2000s Team, New England’s 50th Anniversary and All-Dynasty Teams and the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Seymour was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

“I just never really had anybody like that,” Belichick said after learning of Seymour’s induction. “He was very smart. He could do a lot of different things; game plans, pass rush plays, playing certain plays a certain way. That was all really pretty easy for him because the game came easy for him in terms of intelligence and anticipation and communication along the line.”

 

Life Since Retiring

Former New England Patriot Richard Seymour talks to the press
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

 

Since he left the NFL, Seymour has been active with his wife, Tanya, and their five kids including son London, who accepted a scholarship offer from Georgia in March 2025 to play on the Bulldogs’ defensive line.

He’s also been a professional poker player, a game he began learning in his youth and continued to play during his NFL career.

“We would play poker a lot of times on Monday nights,” Seymour recalled in 2017, “watching football and eating food. We didn’t play for high stakes, as it was more a place to kick back with your buddies, relax a little and have a little competitive environment at the same time.”

During the five years he spent playing professional poker immediately after retiring, Seymour won more than $125,000 and also competed in The World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

“I play sporadically,” he said. “For me, family is first. If I have an opening in my schedule, I will go travel and play some poker, often bringing along my wife.”

In late 2024, it was reported that Seymour was teaming up with former Pats teammate, Tom Brady (and others), to buy a combined 10.4% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders from team owner Mark Davis.

Seymour’s minority stake amounts to 0.5%.

 

References

https://mynbc15.com

https://vault.si.com/vault/2008/08/04/remember

https://vault.si.com/vault/2004/10/18/three-days-one-life

https://wach.com

https://www.patriots.com

https://georgiadogs.com

https://georgiadogs.com

https://georgiadogs.com

https://athlonsports.com

https://www.pro-football-reference.com

https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour/

https://www.patriots.com

https://www.patriots.com

https://pigskindispatch.com

https://www.si.com

https://www.raiders.com/history/richard-seymour

https://www.nbcsports.com

https://www.patriotshalloffame.com

bvmsports.com

NEXT:  The Life And Career Of Kevin Faulk

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Ben Donahue
Contributor at Pro Football History
Over 25 years of experience in sports including coach, athletic director, game day operations, media relations, football operations, and scout. He is [...]

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