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          Sorry, brother: Martellus Bennett won't return

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterMar 19, 2019, 01:59 PM
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- As much as the possibility of playing with his brother appealed to him, tight end Martellus Bennett is staying retired.

          "I would love to play ball with my brother; it would truly be a dream come true. But my biggest dream is to change lives with my creativity and that is what I am currently doing," Bennett said in an Instagram post.

          View this post on Instagram

          Swipe. This is why I can't come out of retirement. I would love to play ball with my brother it would truly be a dream come true. But my biggest dream is to change lives with my creativity and that is what I am currently doing @theimaginationagency these kids don't need another athlete to look up to or to aspire to be there's plenty of inspiration out there for that. I want to inspire the next wave of creatives. The storytellers. The engineers. The designers. The doctors. The filmmakers. The composers. Tech moguls. And maybe a few athletes who like me never felt like they belonged in a locker room. I was never one of the guys guys most of my teammates would tell that. I've always been a creative who enjoyed competing. I'm playing the game that I was made to play and it's the most fun I've ever had. Scoring touchdowns winning a super bowl has never made me feel the way seeing kids/families/people enjoying things I have created. I'm doing my life's work fulfilling what I believe to be my life's purpose. I hope everyone finds something that makes them as happy and as fulfilled as I have with my work @theimaginationagency I appreciate all of the love but this is waaaaayyy bigger than the game of football. Get your copy today. Link in my bio

          A post shared by Martellus Bennett (@martellusb) on

          The possibility of Bennett, 32, coming out of retirement was sparked when his brother Michael was acquired by the New England Patriots in a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago.

          Martellus Bennett won a Super Bowl championship with the Patriots in 2016 and has spoken glowingly of his time with the franchise. He had returned briefly to the Patriots in 2017, landing on injured reserve before retiring.

          He has started a creative agency, with the aim being to inspire youth.

          "I appreciate all of the love but this is waaaaayyy bigger than the game of football," he wrote on Instagram.