One critical scene from NFL history played out on September 23, 2001. It is the day NFL linebacker Mo Lewis, while playing for the New York Jets, knocked New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe into next Tuesday with a career-changing hit. The accident not only left Bledsoe with lasting physical effects but opened the door for Tom Brady’s rise to superstardom. Today, 55-year-old Lewis looks back on that day—and what it means now. He retired after the 2003 season and has mostly shunned the spotlight since then.
The controversial hit took place at the game in which Bledsoe was trying to make a play on the run for a first down. As he got in the neighborhood of the line of scrimmage, Lewis hit him with a hellacious hit. That force resulted in a rupture, slicing through a blood vessel in Bledsoe’s chest. The injury placed Bledsoe’s life in grave danger. It seems we will never know, but reports suggest he almost died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
Lewis, a three-time Pro Bowl selection and a first-team All-Pro in 1998, argues that Bledsoe should bear some responsibility for the incident. He most definitely is right to point out that Bledsoe’s choice to run outside the pocket was a major contributing factor.
“Had he not got outside the pocket and ran with the ball, would we be talking about this? Who caused the event? The person who was with the ball.” – Mo Lewis
Looking back on the hit itself, Lewis champions his point of view as a linebacker just trying to blow up the upcoming ball carrier.
“I’m on the field. I’m not a doctor. I do not know the severity of that hit. It was just another hit. I’m a linebacker. I make tackles. I do not gauge how hard or how soft I hit a person.” – Mo Lewis
Lewis’s own teammate, Pepper Johnson, contributed to this ugly narrative by claiming that Bledsoe could have sidestepped the hit.
“I painted the scenario for him to run out of bounds.” – Pepper Johnson
Despite being credited with launching Tom Brady’s illustrious career as the starting quarterback for the Patriots, Lewis remains firm in his belief that he should not be blamed for Bledsoe’s misfortune. Former Jets coach Herm Edwards famously agreed with this mindset, saying,
“He was the guy that actually started Tom Brady’s career.” – Herm Edwards
During his career, Lewis wore jersey number 82 and left a significant mark on the league before retiring in 2003. Since then, he has mostly avoided media appearances and alumni events, opting to keep a low profile.
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