Christian Gonzalez has one special football celebration that goes back to his childhood in Texas.
It's between him and friend Keith Miller III – in either little league, high school, or as teammates at the University of Colorado -- side by side, exuberant, and inseparable, despite playing on opposite sides of the ball.
Gonzalez has an image of the celebration, the college version, tattooed on his body. And as the New England Patriots cornerback takes the field for Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts, he'll have the same picture painted on his custom cleats.
"He passed away in April," Gonzalez said of his late friend, and his decision to support the non-profit KyleCares this season as part of the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative.
"Kyle Cares is all about mental health. I was able to go to an event at a local high school, and just learning about this foundation, learning about Kyle Cares and what they stand for, I felt like it was a no-brainer for me to pick this to partner with and honor my friend Keith."
Growing up together in the greater Dallas area, Gonzalez and Miller were partners in crime.
The NFL pro recalls hiding in the gymnasium on a rare cold day in Texas, sneaking snacks from the vending machine into their hand warmers to snack on at practice. Miller relentlessly begged Gonzalez to transfer to the same high school as him, knowing together, they'd be a force to reckon with.
"He used to tell me almost every day, 'Come to The Colony – come to The Colony and we'll be unstoppable,'" Gonzalez said. "I finally listened to him and transferred. I don't think I'd be in this position if I didn't listen to him, so I thank him for that."
Both boys ended up going to play football at Colorado together, too, remaining a package deal.
Miller could put a smile on anyone's face, Gonzalez says. His energy lifted a room.
Even after Gonzalez transferred to Oregon, he'd get a text before every game from Miller, who also left Boulder to play wide receiver at Texas A&M-Commerce. Miller could put a smile on anyone's face, Gonzalez says. His energy lifted a room.
"Someone like that, who never seems down, it would never seem like they're struggling with anything, but they could be," Gonzalez said.
"As a friend, you wish you could have done more, even if you did all you could."
Gonzalez received the tragic news over the offseason in April. Right before the Patriots began OTAs, he flew home to Dallas for Miller's funeral.
When Gonzalez returned to New England, he saw a sign-up sheet for a community event hosted by the Patriots Foundation in collaboration the KyleCares -- a nonprofit organization
The KyleCares Foundation was started by Jim Johnson and his family after his son, Kyle, died by suicide in 2018. Their goal is to eliminate student self-harm and suicide by creating school environments where students and their caregivers have the confidence and resources to seek help without shame, or hesitation.
This piqued his interest, and Gonzalez put his name on the list. He joined teammates in May as they met students from North Attleboro High School and learned about the work being done by Kyle Cares to promote open and honest communication about the mental health challenges faced by teens and young adults.
Gonzalez was inspired.
"I want to use my platform to talk about mental health," Gonzalez said. "Mental health matters. Reach out to somebody. I know it can be tough, but talk about your mental health with whoever you find you can talk to. Express how you feel as much as you can, stay positive, and always love on people because you never know what they're going through."
To relay this message, Gonzalez has been discussing his cause on national commercials run by the NFL promoting My Cause My Cleats. He will finally take the field in custom clears that honor both Kyle Cares and Miller on Sunday.
The cleats feature the Kyle Cares logo, one of Miller's nicknames, and a photo of Gonzalez and Miller playing together at Colorado, doing their signature celebration.
"It's really cool to see these come to life," Gonzalez said.
"There's a picture of the celebration we did and it says "Miller Time" – his nickname. We don't like to admit it, nobody wanted to call him Miller Time, but that's what he wanted everybody to call him. So now, it's Miller Time for life. To be able to carry on his name is something I always want to do. He was the first one to ask about how I'm doing, tell me he loved me – stuff like that. He was always the light of the room, so this is my way of paying my respects and keeping his name alive."
