Long before he became an NFL superstar, Julian Edelman had a pretty close connection to one of the greatest wide receivers to ever live. The connection was not really football-related, however.
In his new book “Relentless” that was released last week, Edelman revealed that he dated Jerry Rice’s daughter in high school. The Rice family lived right up the street from where Edelman grew up, and he and Jaqui Rice became close. Edelman says he would ride his bike to play basketball with Jacqui or go get lunch, but he never wanted to go inside her house because he was intimidated by her father.
“He was a god to me,” Edelman wrote, via Nicole Yang of Boston.com. “The first time I saw him, we were shooting hoops and he came out on the front steps, no shirt on, all yoked up, gold chain, six-pack abs. I was shook, and I think that might have been the point Jerry didn’t really talk to me and never talked to me about football.”
Edelman says he went back to visit Jacqui after he was drafted by the Patriots, but Jerry still didn’t talk football with him.
And now, for the best part. As he has done on several occasions, Edelman went to the Kentucky Derby earlier this year with Tom Brady and some other teammates. Jerry Rice was also there, and apparently Brady zinged the Hall of Famer about Edelman dating his daughter.
Even after he had made the Patriots and came back to visit Jaqui following his rookie season, Edelman says Jerry didn’t acknowledge the game. They both attended the 2017 Kentucky Derby, so while at the horse race, one of Edelman’s Patriots teammates couldn’t help but make a comment.
“I hear Jules spent a lot of time at your house when he was a kid,” quarterback Tom Brady joked.
Edelman says Jerry laughed, though he’s not sure if he actually found it funny.
Edelman has a pretty impressive dating resume, so you can understand why Rice might be a bit defensive around him. That was pretty bold of Brady to drop a line about it, but five-time Super Bowl champions can get away with stuff like that.
H/T Barstool Sports
