Mac Jones is entering his second year with the Patriots, and now that he's acclimated to playing in the NFL, he's taking the opportunity this offseason to get to know the New England community as well.
His rookie year was anything but normal, with strict COVID-19 protocols across the league making in-person charity events impossible. The quarterback made up for lost time on Tuesday, though, visiting the Boys and Girls Club of Metro South in Brockton, Mass. and presenting it with a $100,000 donation.
"I've been super busy focused on football, but I want to be able to step out [in the community] like I did in college and high school," Jones said. "Helping younger kids is kind of what my passion is, young people, whether they like sports or not, to help them reach their dreams."
In a community like Brockton, where many of the children attending the Boys & Girls Club come from families living at or below the poverty line, Jones' time and donation mean a lot.
Especially as schools navigated the pandemic and hybrid learning, some kids relied on the Boys & Girls Club programs for meals, and the organization made it a point to continue serving them for the last two years.
After meeting some of the kids and presenting his check, Jones got to take a tour and see for himself the impact his donation makes.
"It's a little bit different and kind of far from my house," Jones said of Brockton. "But I do feel like there's a lot of good kids here that you know, need guidance, but that's all they really need. They have good hearts. Just talking with them today, meeting some of them, it is really cool to see all of them playing together and competing, having fun."
On Tuesday, some of that guidance and support included Jones handing out nerf footballs, playing basketball, learning secret handshakes and showing kids how to do the "Griddy" -- the signature touchdown celebration Jones did at the 2022 Pro Bowl.
A group of high school football players were there to seek advice, and one took the liberty of asking Jones to look at his highlight tapes.
"That group of guys was awesome. I told him he had 10 minutes of highlights. I don't know if I had that in high school," Jones joked.
"I just told them to have fun and enjoy whatever level you're playing at. Some of them going to be playing D1 in college next year. So that's pretty impressive. I told 'em to have fun and enjoy the moment and don't take it for granted. That's pretty much all you can ask, is to work hard and keep your family, God -- whatever you believe in first. Everything will take care of itself."
Patriots QB Mac Jones visited the Boys & Girls Club of Metro South - Brockton Clubhouse on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Jones spent time with the kids, was given a tour of the facility, and surprised the B&G Club with a $100,000 donation.
