Seau on his way back to New England

Sports Network | October 13, 2009

Foxboro, MA (Sports Network) - Junior Seau is reportedly heading back to the New England Patriots.

The veteran linebacker has not played this season and has been the host of a television show, "Sports Jobs with Junior Seau," on the Versus Network, which revealed Seau's return on its web site.

"I'm very fortunate and honored to be involved with two class organizations -- the New England Patriots and Versus," said Seau in a statement on the Versus web site. "I want to thank the management of both for making my return to the NFL with the New England Patriots a reality."

The Patriots have not yet made an official announcement and head coach Bill Belichick would not acknowledge the move during a conference call relating to this coming Sunday's game against Tennessee when asked about the signing.

"Did I miss it, did we announce anything?" Belichick asked one of the team's media relations staff members, who said there was nothing official. "We don't have anything to say about it."

The Patriots apparently brought Seau in for a physical last week. He played four games for New England last year after signing with the team in December and notched 22 tackles.

Seau first joined the Patriots in August of 2006, just days after announcing his retirement. He has played 31 games with New England over the past three seasons.

The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer will be returning for a 20th season in the NFL. A 12-time Pro Bowl selection, he spent the first 13 years of his career with San Diego and also played three seasons with Miami.

After a Pro Bowl season in his first year with the Dolphins, Seau was hit by injuries in his final two years with Miami, prompting his brief retirement.