Report: Ty Law Picks His Hall of Fame Presenter

Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, Byron “Book” Washington will be the presenter. Yes, this final pick was an easy one.

“My best friend in the world, like a biological twin brother, from when we were 1 year old,” Law said. “We grew up across the street from one another. Any experience that I had, closer to anyone in my life, he knows everything — all the good, where all the bones are buried. That’s my guy through thick and thin.

“If my grandfather was alive and here, it would be a no-brainer, as far as the impact in my life, but I couldn’t think of anyone else who knows me like Byron does.”

Remember when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wrote a letter to get Law into the Hall of Fame? He wrote a letter to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Committee.

“Early in my career, while Ty was in the prime of his career, I competed against him every day in practice. We were both highly competitive and those daily battles were always combative. I can remember how upset I would get when I would make a mistake in practice and Ty would capitalize on it. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was then to be challenged every day by one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game. It helped me work harder to become successful in this league and ultimately prepared me to become the player I am today.

“There have been a lot of great cover corners in the NFL during my career. While Ty would certainly qualify as one of them, what made him unique was his physical style of play. He was a tenacious tackler and one of the game’s greatest bump-and-run defenders.

“He always wanted to defend the opponent’s best receiver and typically took them out of the game. He was great at knocking a receiver off his route, baiting quarterbacks into bad reads and capitalizing on ill-fated throws. He finished his Patriots career as the franchise’s all-time leader with 36 interceptions. He always seemed to have his best games on the biggest stage – in the postseason. He played on four Super Bowl teams and helped the Patriots to three championship titles in four years. He was the catalyst to the Patriots’ first Super Bowl victory after intercepting a pass and returning it for an early touchdown in a 20-17 victory.

“One of his most memorable performances came in the 2003 AFC Championship game, when he continually knocked Marvin Harrison and other Colts receivers off their routes, intercepting future hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning three times. Following that season, the competition committee redefined illegal contact and cracked down on pass interference penalties, changing the way the game has been played for well over a decade. In that way, Ty Law changed the game of football. Few players can claim that type of impact on the game. As a quarterback, I appreciate that he helped bring about those changes.”