Patriots alum Matt Light has himself a bit of a reputation. Though he was part of three Super Bowl championship teams and a three-time Pro Bowler, Matt is also an all-star prankster.
While his stunts have caused havoc for teammates, coaches and, since retirement, friends and family, for the past three years, they have raised money for a good cause. The Light Foundation is hosting its third annual Fools' Night Out on April 1 at Showcase Live in Patriot Place.
"I guess to say that April Fool's Day is my favorite holiday would be an understatement. I kind of live the April Fool's Day lifestyle every day," Matt said. "We decided that, hey, no one is capitalizing on April Fool's Day, and it's a great time of the year to get out and enjoy the spring warm up and all that, so why not celebrate it through an event, raise some money and bring some great entertainers and comedians and share some cool stories from the past?"
The night is hosted by Matt and comedian Lenny Clarke and includes stand up acts from Clarke, Graig Murphy, Steve Sweeney, Artie Januaro, Christine Hurley and Jim Colliton.
Patriots fans will also be in for a treat as their Most Valuable Prankster shares some of his most proud moments as a professional joker. Matt said he will be revisiting a favorite of his from the locker room, as well as unveiling one involving Wes Welker.
"When I was playing it was always fun to set guys up that you spend all day with in the locker room and in meetings and on the practice field. You develop comradery when you have a teammate and everyone's different, yet everyone is kind of going through the same thing. You try to have a little fun, you try to create a little levity and keep it light, no pun intended," Matt said. "It's fun. It's fun to do those kinds of things, and we had a lot of fun doing that when I played. We had a great group of guys in the locker room and we pulled some pretty good pranks and now that I'm retired I just do it to normal everyday people, which is even more fun."
Though it was fun for Matt, it wasn't always fun for his victims. He said he once told a coach there was a Jets fan relieving himself on a player's car in the parking lot.
"That created a bit of a problem internally. I'm not sure he found that one to be real funny," Matt said.
"Nobody really felt safe" when Matt was in the locker room, and no one was off limits. Matt said he tried to prank Tom Brady but didn't get the satisfaction he was expecting.
"I was disappointed when we filled Tommy's car with packing peanuts because I was really wanting to watch him clean them all out, and when I say we filled his car, I mean we filled every square inch of his car with industrial bags of packing peanuts," Matt said. "Unfortunately though, he hired some of the stadium crew to clean it out for him, so it was a waste of my time, really."
He doesn't take this half-heartedly either, saying he spent nine months setting up a member of the Light Foundation. The stunt will be revealed at the Fool's Night Out event.
Though the Light Foundation hosts larger events throughout the year, like the Celebrity Shootout, Fools' Night Out allows for the friends, family, former teammates and the community to come together for a relaxing and entertaining night.
"Honestly, I become a spectator just like everyone else. It's fun. It's so difficult, especially here in the Northeast. Everyone is running around crazy, and you've got commitments with your family, your work and your friends. You always have an obligation, and I'm no different in that regard, juggling life and kids and work and this, that and the other, but this event is fun for me because I kind of get everybody in the room," Matt said. "I've got former teammates, I've got great supporters, people that have supported the Light Foundation and our mission and I've got friends and family and so everybody is there together all at once and we're laughing and like I said it's this time of year. The weather starts to warm up a little bit, people start to get out. They want to have a great night, they want to have fun together and we're doing it all for a cause."
The Light Foundation was established in 2001 to help at-risk kids lead healthy lives, using the outdoors as a tool to learn and grow. The Light Foundation values getting R.E.A.L. by putting an emphasis on responsibility, ethics, accountability and leadership.
For more information about the Light Foundation or to purchase tickets for Fools' Night Out, visit its website.
