Drew Bledsoe said it took time to come to grips with losing his job to Tom Brady when the two were quarterbacks for the New England Patriots in 2001.

Bledsoe was injured in Week 2 of the 2001 season after a hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Brady came into the game and eventually led New England to a Super Bowl XXXVI victory over the St. Louis Rams. Bledsoe said in an ESPN E:60 special on Sunday that losing his job was tough.

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“That was a bitter pill to swallow,” Bledsoe said. “I thought I was entitled to get my job back, and it turns out I wasn't, and it doesn't work that way.

“I did some soul-searching and decided that the only proper way to handle it was to go back to work and be the best teammate I could. I always liked and respected Tom, and I was proud of him, but at the same time it was a tough thing to deal with.”

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Bledsoe added that it took time for him even to wear his Super Bowl ring.

“Truth be told, I didn't wear it for quite a while,” he said. “I didn't know where it was for a long time. But now I wear it, every now and then.”

Bledsoe was the Patriots’ quarterback from 1993 to 2001. He even led New England to a Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers but lost. In those nine years, he threw for 29,657 yards and 166 touchdown passes.

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He went on to play for the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys before retiring after the 2006 season.