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August 18, 2006

Seau speaks

Junior Seau aims to play in next week's preseason game at Gillette Stadium.

Seau, who signed with the Pats today after retiring from the game in a ceremony in San Diego on Monday (he called it a "graduation"), spoke with reporters on a conference call just minutes ago.

Some highlights:

(ON WEARING WILLIE McGINEST'S No. 55 WHICH SEAU'S WORN HIS ENTIRE CAREER AND BEFORE McGINEST AT USC)

"I’ll defintely respect Willie and the franchise's wishes here but I will lob a call to him and ask if we can wear that number. That's something needs to be done and something that will be done."

HIS ROLE

"My role is a player on the field at a linebacker position and they do a lot of things. There are two positions I can play and I play them (meaning inside or outside linebacker)."

CAN HIS BODY STAND UP TO THE RIGORS OF PLAYING INSIDE AT 37
"We’ll just have to see. Only time can tell. I won’t promote something that is an unknown."

DID FORMER SAN DIEGO TEAMMATE AND CURRENT PAT RODNEY HARRISON CONTACT HIM
"Rodney put in a couple of calls. He’ll probably get a finder’s fee."

WHY DID HE COME OUT OF "GRADUATION"
"Being the franchise (the Patriots) are forced him to reconsider. Their focus is to win championships and its something we need to seize the opportunity on. It was definitely a thought process in which I talked to family members and (the Patriots) to see where they thought I fit and how they were going to utilize me. When a championship team calls you have to answer it."

"There are a lot of things that come to play when I decide to come into the NFL after two days of retirement. One is that this is a championship team and that they have a role I can contribute in."

WHY DID HE RETIRE
"There wasn’t a team I felt needed me."

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