Drake Maye showcases arm in dodgeball game during Patriots’ Community Day
"Those guys are good dodgeball players. You have the mix of athleticism and dodge.”
Shortly before the start of Monday’s mandatory minicamp practice in the fields behind Gillette Stadium, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo pledged that the team had “something special” planned for Tuesday in place of a scheduled practice.
While it’s a regular occurrence for teams to scrap at least one of their scheduled minicamp practices, the Patriots did not receive a day off on Tuesday — with the entire 2024 roster and many coaches taking part in a “Community Day” in four spots across Massachusetts.
The team divided into four groups and headed to four different locations on Tuesday afternoon, including a pair of schools.
A group led by Mayo, Drake Maye, and David Andrews took part in dodgeball, basketball and more activities with kids at the Perkins Community Center/Lee School in Dorchester, with another contingent taking part in Field Day at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in the same neighborhood.
Maye showcased his rocket arm in a dodgeball bout with Andrews, while Mike Onwenu and his student section defeated Bailey Zappe, Christian Barmore, and Daniel Ekuale in a tug-of-war match.
“It’s always fun to do things like this because you remember you were that age at one point, the impact it can have,” Patriots center David Andrews told 7 News of the event. “It’s still competitive, so you give guys a chance to compete.”
“Honestly Drake Maye and Hunter Henry,” Mayo said of the Patriots’ top dodgeball players. “Those guys are good dodgeball players. You have the mix of athleticism and dodge.”
Along with school outings, members of the team also made an appearance at Elevated Thought in Lawrence, which is an art and social justice organization designed to encourage creativity and community within the next generation.
Another quarter of the team traveled to Worcester to visit Meryl’s Safe Haven, an emergency assistance shelter committed to assisting those aging out of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) care.
“A lot of us have come from this,” Mayo said of Tuesday’s community events. “We were those kids at one point in time. So, it’s important for us to give back.”
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