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Lawyer Milloy is in good company now, but as one of the earlier Patriots standouts deemed expendable by Bill Belichick, the way things unfolded left him “disgusted” at the time. In 2003, Milloy was a four-time Pro Bowl safety who had become a key cog in the Patriots’ Super Bowl championship defense.
That all came to a swift halt leading up to the 2003 regular season as issues arose surrounding his contract. As he explained during his Monday appearance on WEEI's Orday, Merloni and Fauria, Milloy said that he was given an ultimatum by Belichick and eventually was let go.
On September 2, 2003, the New England Patriots released Milloy after he declined to take a pay cut to remain with the team. The Patriots cleared $5.86 million in cap space for 2003 with his release. Milloy was supposed to earn $4.50 million in 2003 and still had four years remaining on his contract.
Larry Milloy was arrested after signing for a large package of narcotics that came in the mail and was immediately arrested by police. Milloy moved in with his best friend during high school after a court hearing declared his mother an unfit parent and made Lawyer a ward of the state.
The Patriots traded three draft picks to the New York Jets in order to hire Belichick who was supposed to be the successor at head coach for the New York Jets after Bill Parcells. Belichick was Milloy's position coach as a rookie and was instrumental in the Patriots' decision to draft Milloy in 1996.
Throughout training camp, Milloy competed to be the starting strong safety against Terry Ray. Milloy impressed the Patriots' coaching staff during the preseason and was able to make a case for the starting role. Defensive backs coach Bill Belichick lobbied for Lawyer to be the starter, but head coach Bill Parcells opted to name Terry Ray the starting strong safety to begin the regular season instead.
The New England Patriots finished first in the AFC East with an 11–5 record and earned a first round bye. On January 5, 1997, Milloy started in his first career playoff game and made five combined tackles and an interception as the Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 28–3 in the AFC Divisional Round.
Lawyer Marzell Milloy (born November 14, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons. He played college football for the Washington Huskies, and earned All-American honors.
Milloy married his college girlfriend, Claudine, who was a two-time All-American for Washington in track. Milloy and his wife currently reside in Redmond, Washington and have four daughters named Amirah, Kiki, Tia, and Breya. Amirah is currently an outfielder for the Washington Huskies softball team.
Milloy was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was raised by his parents Mae Blakeny and Larry Milloy. His mother was 15 at the time of his birth and his father was a senior in high school. Larry Milloy served in the Army for six years. Milloy has a younger brother named Galvin and grew up in Tacoma, Washington. Both his parents struggled with drug addiction during his childhood and his father was arrested for conspiracy to receive a controlled substance and was incarcerated for 2½ years when Lawyer was 15. Larry Milloy was arrested after signing for a large package of narcotics that came in the mail and was immediately arrested by police. Milloy moved in with his best friend during high school after a court hearing declared his mother an unfit parent and made Lawyer a ward of the state. His younger brother moved to St. Louis with their grandmother. His mother's drug use worsened and she moved to Trenton, New Jersey and worked as a janitor. During his senior year of high school his family was reunited after his father was released from prison. His parents changed their lives and credit Lawyer for inspiring them.
The New England Patriots hired former Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel as their defensive coordinator in 2001. Crennel opted to retain Milloy and Tebucky Jones as the starting safeties. Milloy and Jones started alongside cornerbacks Ty Law and Otis Smith in 2001.