When Joseph Drumwright had to pick a person to do a project on for Black History Month, he knew exactly who he wanted to learn more about -- Jason McCourty.
Joseph, a third grader in Owens, Md., grew up a Patriots fan because of his father, Will, and after going to the Patriots game this season, two players in particular caught Joseph's eye.
"He saw the McCourtys at the game, and he was like, 'Who are they?'" Will recalled. "I told him they were twin brothers, and they've been playing with each other all their lives. He was just fascinated after that."
Having two brothers of his own, this was something that caught Joseph's attention, and he knew this was the perfect subject for his project. He researched everything about Jason, from the McCourtys becoming the first twins to play and win a Super Bowl together to his favorite movie ("Hitch"), Joseph had it all covered.
"Joseph liked that fact that [Jason] likes shrimp," Joseph said with a laugh. "Out here in Maryland, it's seafood country, and Joseph loves shrimp too."
Not for nothing, Joseph was passionate about his project but still nervous to present in front of his classmates. His father said it was special to see how much this assignment pushed his son in a positive way.
"This project was something that really meant a lot to him because of the fact that Joseph is very shy," Will said. "He's a very smart kid ... It was something like that that brought him out of his shell."
When his poster was finished, Joseph's mother shared pictures on Twitter, and to the family's surprise, Jason responded. He asked for the family's address so he could send a surprise to Joseph.
"Oh, man. He was so happy. The look in his eyes and the smile on his face, it was great to see him that happy," Will said. "Joseph has a huge heart for people, so when a pro athlete took time out of his day to reach out to him, it really made his day. That's all he talks about now."
As a father, too, it is especially rewarding to see his son admire someone who is not only a talented athlete, but a kind and thoughtful person, Will said.
"It's great because at least I know he's looking up to the right people," he said. "It's always nice to have your son look up to someone that is so involved with the community and helping people."
