Artrell Hawkins convinced brother Andrew to sign with the Patriots

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When Andrew Hawkins was deciding which team he should sign with, he received some pretty good advice from his brother, Artrell Hawkins, who is a former Patriot.

"I think it's awesome. If it were up to me, he would have been there when he was a restricted free agent a few years ago," Artrell said, adding that he was "heavy-handed" when asked by his brother about what he should choose.

"The opportunity to play with [Tom] Brady, to win, to play for arguably the greatest coach of all-time, it's just a really awesome experience. I know it's not going to be mine exactly, but the primary pieces are still in place there. I've always said that being a part of the Patriots kind of saved my NFL experience. Not to say that I'm not appreciative or didn't enjoy playing other places, but as a kid, or when you're dreaming up playing in the National Football League, it's vying for championships, it's winning. So when he was talking to me about it about a week or so ago, I was a big advocate of it."

While his brother looks to make the Patriots' roster, the older Hawkins is now studying to become a preacher.

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