New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman had many doubters over the years regarding whether he could make it to the NFL. You can include a former English professor as one.

The 5’10” two-time Super Bowl winner recently received an apology note from said teacher and posted it on Twitter.

“You had made some comment about “going to the league,” and I said something about setting realistic goals, about how few people successfully enter the ranks of the professional athlete, blah, blah, blah,” the professor wrote. “I don’t think it fazed you, frankly, but whenever I think back on it, I feel terrible, not because you proved me wrong, but because I stupidly voiced and uneducated opinion that implied I had distain (sic) for your passion for the game.”

Here’s the full letter:

In 2006, Edelman was attending the College of San Mateo in California. He set school records as a quarterback before transferring to Kent State to finish his collegiate career.

It’s hard to fault the teacher for doubting Edelman’s goals and telling him to focus on “realistic goals.” After all, this was a 5’10” freshman playing for a small school. Then, there are the odds.

According to the NCAA, in 2017, there were 73,660 NCAA football players. Of those who were draft eligible? 16,369. With 253 spots in the NFL draft, that means just 1.5 percent jump from the college level to the NFL.

So, hopefully the teacher doesn’t come down too hard on himself or herself. Regardless, it was a classy move to write the note.