Morning Sports Update
An eventful sequence from the 2001 draft was another example of Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick taking every opportunity to “stick it to the Jets.”
The story behind the Patriots drafting Matt Light: With the NFL Draft approaching, Patriots fans are turning their attention to who the team might pick at No. 4 overall (or whether New England’s front office may make a trade).
In that context, former Patriots player personnel executive Scott Pioli recently joined “The Rich Eisen Show” to discuss his experiences alongside Bill Belichick on draft day, and specifically how the rivalry with the Jets extended into the offseason. One story he shared was the Jets-related background behind the acquisition of longtime left tackle Matt Light.
Light was eventually selected 48th overall, though originally the Patriots did not possess that particular pick.
“We were sitting at [the 50th pick] in the second round,” Pioli recalled. “We had just drafted Richard Seymour, and the Jets were right ahead of us at 49. I would say it was probably around 45 or [the] 46th overall pick, I picked up the phone to call Matt Light to see if he had anything going on.”
Having picked Seymour sixth overall to help anchor the defensive line, New England wanted Light to help do the same on the offensive line.
“I said, ‘Have you heard from anybody?’” Pioli asked Light. “He goes, ‘Well I’m actually on the phone with the Jets right now.’
“I said, ‘Don’t say a word that I called, this call didn’t happen. Sit tight.’”
The Patriots under Belichick were never afraid of making a draft-day trade, as Pioli noted.
“I look at Bill and say, ‘Hey, [Matt’s] on the phone with the Jets, and they’re one pick ahead of us at 49,’” he remembered. “So I start burning up the lines, Bill calls a couple people. I got a hold of Matt Millen at the Lions, who was at 48, and as they go on the clock we were able to consummate this trade.”
The terms of the deal ended up being favorable for New England, swapping second-rounders with Detroit along with sending a sixth-round pick (which was coincidentally the first draft pick acquired via trade during the Belichick era). More importantly, it allowed the Patriots to get the player they wanted at the expense of their New York rivals.
“We only gave up a sixth-round pick. But during that time with the Patriots, it was always so good to stick it to the Jets in any way possible,” Pioli admitted, “not just on Sundays in the fall.”
The sequence culminated with Pioli getting to have a memorable exchange with Light.
“You just reveled in any time that you could stick it to the Jets, and we jumped up, and while he was on the phone with the Jets on call-waiting, he picks up the phone and I go, ‘Matt, are you still on the phone with the Jets right now?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’
“I said, ‘Well tell them that we just picked you, you’re not available anymore,’” said Pioli. “And we got Matt Light, and he went on to start for us forever. He made a Pro Bowl, and was such an important part of our culture and overall team intelligence and toughness.”
Trivia: The Patriots got one of the three future Hall of Famers picked in the first round of the 2001 draft by selecting Richard Seymour. Can you name either of the other two?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: They were drafted by the Chargers and Seahawks, respectively.
Scores and schedules:
The Red Sox defeated the Orioles 3-0 on Wednesday behind eight scoreless inning from Garrett Crochet. Rafael Devers went 2-for-4 with an RBI to get his 2025 season going. The two teams play again today at 1:05 p.m.
The Celtics lost to the Heat 124-103 on Wednesday night, ending Boston’s nine-game winning streak (which began against Miami back on March 14). The Celtics will host the Suns on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m.
Tonight, the Bruins face the Canadiens in Montreal at 7 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
A satisfying sequence: The Celtics’ winning streak came to an end on Wednesday, but this particular passage of play was classic Boston basketball.
This sequence >>> pic.twitter.com/4uNq68xH4T
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 3, 2025
A New England matchup: In a U.S. Open Cup matchup, Portland Hearts of Pine defeated Hartford Athletic on penalty kicks despite having to play down a player after a 96th minute red card.
On this day: In 2021, the Bruins defeated the Penguins 7-5 in a shootout, with Brad Marchand netting a hat-trick.
Daily highlight: Elly De La Cruz covered an incredible amount of ground before making a sliding catch yesterday for the Reds, though the Rangers came away with a 1-0 win.
MY GOODNESS, ELLY DE LA CRUZ! pic.twitter.com/DkxXlvPX4a
— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2025
Trivia answer: LaDainian Tomlinson, Steve Hutchinson
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
