FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When the New England Patriots were considering hosting Division II receiver Andrew Jamiel for a tryout this week, they reached out to five-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman for a reference.
Sherman told the Patriots the same thing he's been relaying to Jamiel: "What took you so long! He deserves a shot in the NFL."
How Sherman became Jamiel's top advocate highlights the lengths Jamiel has taken to keep his NFL dream alive. When Jamiel graduated from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, in 2020 -- having set many of the school's all-time records -- it was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.