By John Ingoldsby, Player Engagement Insider
A pair of New England Patriots both current and former kicked off October in style by staging separate sold-out events in suburban Boston.
The evening started with recently retired team captain linebacker Jerod Mayo holding his 7th Annual Mayo Bowl to benefit the Boston Medical Center, and was followed later a few miles down the road at Gillette Stadium with All-Pro wide receiver Julian Edelman hosting the Football 101 Women’s Clinic, presented by ProCamps Worldwide and attended by 400 women.
As always at the Mayo Bowl, Patriots players past and present poured into the event, and included former linebacker Tedy Bruschi, former wide receiver Troy Brown, former guard Joe Andruzzi, tackler Marcus Cannon, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, defensive end Rob Ninkovich, safety Duron Harmon, long snapper Joe Cardona, defensive end Geneo Grissom, guard Christian Barker, safety Brandon King, linebacker Elandon Roberts, center David Andrews, tight end A.J. Derby, and even team owner Robert Kraft.
Commenting on his support from the Patriots organization, Mayo said while standing on the busy red carpet before the bowling competition got underway inside, “We have always been a family and always will be. A few years ago we set a goal to raise $1.5 million for the BMC, and we expect to break that tonight, and everyone will have a great time.”
A great time for a good cause in the BMC, which emphasizes community-based care, with its mission to provide consistently accessible health services to all.
And a great time was also had by all at the high-energy Edelman event, where the women on the field were divided into groups with their own coach, who taught a variety of fundamental football skills and put them into practice with various drills such as throwing, catching, and kicking. This all built up to football competition and a tug-of-war, and ended with an awards ceremony.
All along the way, the affable Edelman roamed from group to group, participating in the drills, taking photos and selfies, and conducting conversations with the enthusiastic attendees.
“It’s amazing how crazy and passionate women fans of football are,” said Edelman while fittingly showing how to properly grip a football. “They love this game, and we love having their support, and it’s a huge part of the game and a huge part of our fan base, so it’s fun.”
John Ingoldsby is the President and Founder of IIR Sports, Inc. a sports media firm based in Boston. He has covered the NFL throughout his career that began as a newspaper reporter/editor, which includes articles in Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine (NFL Player Engagement), London-based Financial Times newspaper (NFL's international strategy), the Philadelphia Daily News (annual NFC Coaches Breakfast) and the Boston Globe (Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll).