SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers will honor Eddie DeBartolo Jr. on Sunday at Levi's Stadium for his recent induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On Wednesday, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick got a head start on those paying tribute by offering lengthy praise to DeBartolo in a conference call with the Bay Area media. In a response that lasted more than three minutes, Belichick said he would have liked to work for DeBartolo and credited the DeBartolo family for helping him along the way.
Here's the full transcript of his answer on DeBartolo:
“Eddie and I actually go back a long way," Belichick said.