Julian Edelman, Curt Schilling Join Kevin Durant Recruiting Team
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics are trying hard to recruit free-agent superstar Kevin Durant, and the city's athletes have taken an all-hands-on-deck approach.
Tom Brady wore his nicest white pants to the Hamptons on Saturday to help pitch Durant on the idea of joining the Celtics, and David Ortiz sent out a tweet trying to sell Durant on the "City of Champions."
Since then, a couple of other high-profile Boston athletes have stepped up to help sell Durant on Boston.
On Sunday afternoon, Patriots receiver Julian Edelman donned a No. 35 Celtics jersey and told Durant that there's just no better place to play.
Also getting in on the action is former Red Sox star Curt Schilling, who himself made a major career decision by steering a trade to Boston in November 2003. Schilling wrote a blog directed at Durant, in which he tried to relate to the process Durant is going through.
"Some of your sports greatest players have donned the Irish Green and Clover leaf of the Celts. Bill Russell? Bird? Havlicek? Bob Cousy? Pretty sure you know them as well or better than I ever could," Schilling wrote. "Why does that matter? For this reason. Tradition. People here in NE aren't transplants, they aren't bandwagon folks. You are born, and raised here, and the Celtic, Sox, Bruins and Pats are not 'your teams' they are part of your life. I had NO IDEA it was what it was until I came here.I know passion, I lived for the game, but I never took the ball in front of people who loved their players and their teams more than these folks."
Hopefully Durant can overlook a few typos to get the main message.
"You're going to pick your next 'home', and I can honestly tell you there is no place on this planet like Boston. You come here, you help win a title and it won't be a celebration. It's a revival, it's a "you will never be forgotten and never have to buy another beer" kind of championship," Schilling said. "These people live for their teams, their athletes, you come here, bust your ass (which I don't think will ever be an issue) and you leave it all on the floor and you'll have a few million folks who'll name kids, dogs and whatever else they can, Kevin, KD, Durant or some other derivative. I've got no skin in the game other than these people, they treated my family and I like royalty from the day we came here."
Durant's decision is expected any moment, and the Celtics still believe they're in it. We'll find out then if the Boston push made any significant impact.
