Hill will always have a place with Patriots
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Boston Globe by Albert Breer
NEW ORLEANS - Over the last week, much was made of this being the first time the Patriots had returned to New Orleans since the franchise won its first Super Bowl.
Truth is, that’s inaccurate.
The Patriots were here, en masse, in early June 2008. And the reason for that visit brought about feelings the polar opposite of what they’d experienced seven years earlier.
The players, coaches, and front office were here to mourn the death of one of their own - 24-year-old defensive lineman Marquise Hill - who’d drowned in a Jet Ski accident on Lake Pontchartrain near his native New Orleans.
To this day, when Patriots owner Robert Kraft goes to work out at Gillette Stadium, he passes by a small shrine built in Hill’s honor in the team’s locker room. It hits him every time.
“You think how fragile everything in life is, and how lucky we all are,’’ Kraft said last night, about an hour before kickoff. “We decided to fly the whole team down, and his mom spoke to everyone in the church, and was so articulate and so wonderful, and it meant so much to her that we came.
“It was one of the things that brought our team together in a very special way.’’
A chill was felt by Hill’s former agent, Albert Elias, as he entered the Superdome last night.
Hill had his biggest game here, registering a sack on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jason White of Oklahoma to propel LSU to a 21-14 win in the Sugar Bowl and a share of the national title for the 2003 season. It was on that day, Elias believes, that Hill paved the road to Foxborough.
“As a little kid, playing football in New Orleans, the Superdome is the only thing they know,’’ Elias said. “And he was considering coming back to school for his senior year, and he had his biggest game in the national championship right here. He dominated that game. And that’s what put him on the Patriots’ radar, no doubt in my mind.
“I just keep thinking about it. You don’t ever want to focus on what might’ve been, but it’s just such a waste. I know he’s in a better place, smiling down on us, but the possibilities . . .’’
Elias’s voice trailed off as he mentioned how Hill’s son, Ma’Shy, now 4, has started asking his mother, Hill’s fiancee Inell Benn, about his father.
Those questions are tough to answer.
“My memory is whenever I’d see his name on my cellphone, I was either gonna get cussed out or I was gonna laugh, one or the other,’’ Elias said with a smile. “That’s what he was. There wasn’t a dull moment around him.’’Continued...
Kraft’s memories are similar.
“He was such a huge man, he was always respectful to me, but he joked around with me too,’’ the owner said. “You could get him going. I never saw him without a smile on his face. He never had a mean look on his face - always either neutral or up. He was a wonderful young man.’’
Despite Hill’s struggles through his first three NFL seasons, Elias firmly believes his client was ready to turn the corner. He mentions that Hill was 21 when he was drafted, that he spent just three years in college and never redshirted.
And then, Elias looks at what’s happened with the Patriots of late and sees where the plan for Hill would’ve come to fruition.
“What I always tell people, when they drafted Marquise, he was a junior - three years, no redshirt,’’ Elias said. “So after two, three years reporters said he’s a bust. And I said, ‘They were drafting for a reason.’ And that was now.
“They traded [Richard] Seymour away, I just think what it would’ve been if [Hill had] still been on the team. Look at it - he would’ve filled that hole perfectly. That’s why they drafted him, and that’s why they’re such a good organization, because they draft for two, three years down the line.’’
Last night was hard for many players, on both sides.
Saints cornerback Randall Gay, a member of the same Patriots rookie class as Hill, was his college roommate. Patriots defensive lineman Jarvis Green was like a big brother to Hill. New Orleans receiver Devery Henderson was another college teammate, and Patriots back Kevin Faulk shared the LSU connection.
And they all can envision just what this game would’ve meant to Hill. Patriots come in 7-3, Saints 10-0. Hill returning to his hometown, and the site of the most memorable football game he ever played.
“It’s sad, and at the same time, I get a grin,’’ Elias said. “He’s looking down on us. This is his home - the Superdome.’’
As Kraft stood on that very turf, he reflected on the lesson he takes from all of it.
“It shows how important it is to tell the people that you love each day that you love them,’’ he said. “If you’re privileged to have your parents, call them every day and tell them that you love them. When your kids go to bed at night, hug them and tell them you love them.
“There was something in the news about a grandfather losing some of his grandchildren, and he gave thanks to the Lord that some of his other grandchildren survived and didn’t focus only on the ones who died. It’s just the attitude down here, it’s very special.’’
Elias, Kraft, and everyone who knew Hill seem to have taken that approach.
It’s difficult. But they try to smile when they think of his memory.
“His death,’’ Elias said, pausing, “He went out the same way he lived his life - with a bang.
“He was such a huge man, he was always respectful to me, but he joked around with me too,’’ the owner said. “You could get him going. I never saw him without a smile on his face. He never had a mean look on his face - always either neutral or up. He was a wonderful young man.’’
Despite Hill’s struggles through his first three NFL seasons, Elias firmly believes his client was ready to turn the corner. He mentions that Hill was 21 when he was drafted, that he spent just three years in college and never redshirted.
And then, Elias looks at what’s happened with the Patriots of late and sees where the plan for Hill would’ve come to fruition.
“What I always tell people, when they drafted Marquise, he was a junior - three years, no redshirt,’’ Elias said. “So after two, three years reporters said he’s a bust. And I said, ‘They were drafting for a reason.’ And that was now.
“They traded [Richard] Seymour away, I just think what it would’ve been if [Hill had] still been on the team. Look at it - he would’ve filled that hole perfectly. That’s why they drafted him, and that’s why they’re such a good organization, because they draft for two, three years down the line.’’
Last night was hard for many players, on both sides.
Saints cornerback Randall Gay, a member of the same Patriots rookie class as Hill, was his college roommate. Patriots defensive lineman Jarvis Green was like a big brother to Hill. New Orleans receiver Devery Henderson was another college teammate, and Patriots back Kevin Faulk shared the LSU connection.
And they all can envision just what this game would’ve meant to Hill. Patriots come in 7-3, Saints 10-0. Hill returning to his hometown, and the site of the most memorable football game he ever played.
“It’s sad, and at the same time, I get a grin,’’ Elias said. “He’s looking down on us. This is his home - the Superdome.’’
As Kraft stood on that very turf, he reflected on the lesson he takes from all of it.
“It shows how important it is to tell the people that you love each day that you love them,’’ he said. “If you’re privileged to have your parents, call them every day and tell them that you love them. When your kids go to bed at night, hug them and tell them you love them.
“There was something in the news about a grandfather losing some of his grandchildren, and he gave thanks to the Lord that some of his other grandchildren survived and didn’t focus only on the ones who died. It’s just the attitude down here, it’s very special.’’
Elias, Kraft, and everyone who knew Hill seem to have taken that approach.
It’s difficult. But they try to smile when they think of his memory.
“His death,’’ Elias said, pausing, “He went out the same way he lived his life - with a bang.’’
Albert R. Breer can be reached at abreer@globe.com.
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