“Getting the knock is the best feeling in the world”: Ex-Patriots cornerback Ty Law reacts to being voted to the Hall of Fame

He had to wait for quite some time, but yesterday former New England Patriots cornerback Ty Law was finally elected to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame: the 44-year old was one of eight players or contributors chosen. In his third straight year as a finalist, Law will finally join other Patriots greats such as John Hannah or Andre Tippett in Canton. Naturally, the whole process was an emotional one for the three-time Super Bowl winner.

“Getting the knock is the best feeling in the world, I cried like a little baby — I’ll probably have some memes out there at some point, I don’t care, it’s all worth it,” said Law at the NFL Honors ceremony on Saturday night, shortly after he was announced as a member of the 2019 Hall of Fame class. “When you actually get that knock, all emotion just left because you worked your whole life to get to this point. This is definitely the icing on the cake.”

Law will enter the Hall in August because of his impressive résumé: he has both posted gaudy stats over the course of his 15-year career — 10 of which in New England — and also played on championship teams. As one of the “founding members” of the Patriots’ dynasty, Law helped the franchise win its first three Super Bowls all while making some of the biggest plays in the history of both the organization and the league.

“A lot of people talk about that they would trade this for that, I wouldn’t be here without those other things,” said Law when talking about the weight of being named a Hall of Famer when compared to being a Super Bowl champion. “[I wouldn’t be here] without those championship rings, without those Super Bowls, without those big interceptions in the big games. You can’t get any higher than this in football.”

True to his Patriots upbringing, however, Law was quick to point out that he would not have reached this point without the support of those around him. “I’m not just representing myself: I’m representing Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Troy Brown, Lawyer Milloy, Otis Smith, all those guys that had such an impact on me as a football player and as a champion football player, now a Hall of Famer,” said Law shortly after his introduction (via Evan Lazar).

“I want the world to know that I wouldn’t be here without those guys, and somebody needs to look at those guys and give them an opportunity to stand here as well because this whole dynasty since Tom Brady was at the helm is no accident,” Law, who is now in the Patriots and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, continued. “This was hard work, this was dedication. I’m just one of the guys. I think there should be ore of me like this.”

“I’m not only representing Ty Law, I’m representing the Patriots and all the guys before me and with me that didn’t get the opportunity to do so,” he concluded, once again exemplifying the old Patriot adage that no single player stands above the team. Law, it looks like, has stayed true to this mantra even in retirement and now election to the Hall of Fame.