Updates

By John Ingoldsby

Foxborough, Mass. – New England Patriots’ players spent Sunday mixing it up with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but just a day later they were out en masse mixing with the community.

On Monday evening, Rob Gronkowski and Jerod Mayo, along with their family and teammates respectively, both hosted packed events in suburban Boston that brought their supporters up close and personal with the reigning Super Bowl Champions.

The Gronkowski event at Gillette Stadium was a Football 101 Women’s Clinic, where 150 women were on the field learning football first-hand from the All-Pro, along with other members of the Gronkowski clan and a cadre of coaches.

The women were divided into groups where they rotated around the field participating in gridiron drills, while Gronkowski sprinted from cluster to cluster to offer his unique expertise through an interactive approach.

“We are all out here in a fun atmosphere to introduce them to football fundamentals and help them learn various position skills,” said the record-breaking tight end.

The ladies learned quickly as the high-energy evening ended with actual games, where Rob and his brother Gordie Jr. played opposing quarterbacks in each and completed touchdown passes all over the familiar turf.

“They were all quite impressive with what they learned and the skills they showed,” observed Gronkowski, before finishing off the evening with a Dance-Off and a Tug-of-War match, where there were smiles all around.

Meanwhile, just down the road in Dedham, MA, Patriots Co-Captain Jerod Mayo staged his sixth annual Mayo Bowl to benefit the Boston Medical Center.

“It is just a joy to be hosting this event again, and even more importantly to see the smiles on the faces of the children who are benefitting from this night,” beamed the star linebacker in describing his $1.5 million pledge to the hospital over a three-year period.

And with competitive bowling the order of the evening, Mayo’s teammates and former Patriots players turned out in force to elevate the evening and lend a Hollywood feel for the Red Carpet entrance.

Those current teammates included, among others, Tom Brady, Malcolm Butler, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Rob Ninkovich, Chandler Jones, Devin McCourty, Nate Solder, Chandler Jones, Steven Gostkowski, Matthew Slater, and a slew of others, including former Patriots Tedy Bruschi, Andre Tippett, Steve Grogan, Jermaine Wiggins and Max Lane.

With that kind of talent, Mayo mused beforehand that “the bowling gets heated in there since there are some serious bowlers participating.”

But most importantly, Mayo stated, “This means a lot to me, and it’s for such a good cause of ensuring that there is always accessible medical care in the Boston area for those who need it.”

Learn more about how the NFL and its players serve the communities where the game is played.