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Jack Easterby, who was the Patriots character coach, greets
players during a workout last season. (New England Patriots, Journal file/ Eric
Adler)
FOXBORO
— There’s an office inside Gillette Stadium that once served as a safe space.
It was here that players and coaches were able to pour their hearts out, solve
problems and try to become better men on and off the football field.
For
six years, this is where Jack Easterby did his work. Today, the office is
vacant and has been since the Patriots former character coach left in the offseason
to join the Houston Texans.
From
2013-2018, Easterby served as a calming influence over players in Foxboro. His
sudden departure left players scrambling. There was a brief sense of panic
among some of his closest Patriots supporters.
“I
was concerned initially about how we were going to attack it,” Matthew Slater
said. “I had some good conversations with a coach about it. I sent out a super,
super long group text to some of the core guys that I knew valued Jack’s role
and were impacted by it. I think we got creative about how we wanted to
approach it.”
The
departure hit Slater the hardest. Prior to Easterby’s arrival, he led Bible
study and organized chapel services. When the character coach came to Foxboro,
it alleviated some of Slater’s responsibilities. Naturally, Slater, who’s a
married father of three, felt some pressure to step up again.
“I
told Slater all offseason long, ‘You can’t go be Jack. It won’t be fair to you,
your family. You just can’t be a player and do the extra things that Jack did,’
” Devin McCourty said. “We just all got to chip in and do it together as a
group.”
The team didn’t make a hire to replace
Easterby. That’s why a group of veterans banded together to tackle the
challenge for themselves. Led by Slater, players like the McCourty
twins, Rex Burkhead,
Duron Harmon, David Andrews, Ben Watson and Stephen Gostkowski have divvied up
responsibilities to help replace the team’s character coach.
They
say it takes a village to raise a child. Inside Gillette Stadium, it’s taking a
village to replace Jack Easterby.
Banding together
Easterby
was hired in 2013 following the arrest of Aaron Hernandez. He was recommended
to Bill Belichick by Scott Pioli. Easterby worked with Pioli as the Kansas City
Chiefs’ chaplain when linebacker Jovan Belcher took his own life in the
Arrowhead Stadium parking lot.
Prior
to Super Bowl LIII, Easterby described his role as the “glue” of the Patriots.
The character coach did a laundry list of things for the team, among them was
leading the Bible study, helping rookies integrate to the NFL and acting as a
counselor.
Players
today also have resources inside the building that aren’t player driven. They
have access to local therapists, counselors and pastors.
“Obviously
nobody can come in and do his role,” Harmon said. “People are kind of divvying
up the roles. The thing about this team, we’ve got great leaders. ... That kind
of helps, too, for losing Jack. It’s going to be a process. It’ll be something
we obviously have to work through and continue to try to figure out what’s the
best way you fill that role.”
Easterby
was also viewed as the Patriots problem-solver. When players had an issue, he
was the person to see. Part of his job was to get ahead of issues before they
blew up in the locker room. Prior to Super Bowl LIII, Slater credited Easterby
with helping the Patriots stay together.
That’s
why Slater drafted and sent out his long group text message back in March. The
captain wanted to create a plan to help the team get over this loss prior to
the start of offseason workout program. Slater challenged his teammates to step
up and out of their comfort zone.
“I
really thought we needed to be intentional about it,” Slater said. “I don’t
think you sit back and say, well, hopefully that falls into place. Hopefully,
we can get something going. There’s a core group of guys on this team that I
feel like, ‘all right, you’ve been a student for the last five-to-six years
now. It’s time to step up and lead.’ They’ve definitely answered the call.”
New (and old) roles
A
few years ago, Easterby had a strange request for the chef at SkipJack’s, a
seafood restaurant in Patriot Place. He asked for jars of peanut butter and
jelly for a special clinic he was running for the team’s incoming rookie class.
Easterby
had the rookies team up in pairs of two and compete to make peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches while using only one instruction at a time. For example, “take
the lid off the jar.” Next, “pick up the knife.” The goal was to improve their
communication skills.
Every year, Easterby helped the
Patriots rookie class integrate to their new lives as professional athletes.
This year, that role belongs to Burkhead. The running back is one of several
veterans with new responsibilities this season.
“I’m helping some of the rookies
along,” Burkhead said. “Whether that’s outside of (the building) or inside.
Playbook stuff. Really making sure they’re locked in or having a good
understanding of what the NFL life is. Really not just coming in and guessing
every single day, looking around. Make sure they have a plan of action for each
day they come in.”
For
several of Easterby’s disciples, the work they’re currently doing comes
naturally.
McCourty
now helps with pre-game prayers and chapel services. Slater is back to
organizing and running the team’s Bible studies. He seeks guidance from a
Foxboro-based preacher to help him in this area. Slater’s goal is to help
players see themselves as not just football players, but fathers, friends and
husbands. He’s aiming to help his teammates better themselves.
“It’s
been big for our team,” Slater said. “The culture on our team has shifted quite
a bit as a result of it. I think we have to try to continue with that
structure.”
“I
think it’s kind of been second nature to us,” McCourty added. “In our minds, we
already do this whether it’s each week or whatever day we do something. For us,
it’s what we do. We just try to keep that going.”
Inside help
The
Patriots have an advantage when it comes to replacing Easterby. It’s Slater.
There’s
not a single person in the Patriots locker room who would be shocked if Slater
one day took a similar path as the team’s former character coach. The
33-year-old hopes to become a preacher when his playing days are over. It was
only natural he would grow close to Easterby, who is also a preacher. Slater is
a seven-time Pro Bowler and special-teams captain since 2011, but has a hard
time viewing himself as just a pro athlete.
“I’ve
always felt that’s why I’ve been here,” Slater said. “Masquerading around as a
football player so I can tell people about the Lord, hopefully point them to
Christ, build relationships, connect with people and football will always, in
my mind, be second to that.”
McCourty
still tries to take the pressure off Slater. He wants him to remain as “one of
the guys,” but admits Slater’s openness and honesty make him one of the easiest
people to talk with in Gillette. Burkhead said Slater influences his life both on and off the field and
provides a great example as a husband and father.
It’s
similar with Harmon, who calls Slater the most positive person in his life.
“Having
Matt is like an older brother who’s challenged me in my faith, challenged me as
not only a football player but as a man,” Harmon said. “To be a better man each
and every day to the people who love me the most, like my family, my wife, my
kids and having him there, is kind of like already having a pastor. I know he
doesn’t have the actual title, but how he carries himself and how he mentors
and how he leads; it’s amazing.”
With
the start of the 2019 regular season on Sunday, the Patriots will press forward
without the glue that’s held them together. There’s some uncertainty in how
this will all unfold without Easterby, but thanks to players like Slater, the
team is keeping the faith that they will figure it out together.
“It’s
tough. Jack Easterby is one of a kind,” Slater said. “No one is going to be
able to do what Jack did, obviously. Everyone can hopefully try to find their
niche and go from there.”
