Want to work out in the Boston Celtics’ sparkling new practice facility? All you need to do is … be a high-profile athlete on another local professional sports team.
The Celtics assisted Julian Edelman by allowing the New England Patriots wide receiver to use their brand-new digs while he served his four-game suspension, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Adam Schefter reported Thursday, citing sources.
Edelman spent “a significant number of mornings” in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood using the facility’s weight room and working with the Celtics’ training staff, according to ESPN.
But here’s the best part: Edelman spent part of his time there playing pingpong with star forward Gordon Hayward.
Hayward even texted ESPN a scouting report on Edelman’s paddle skills:
“He’s a good player. I haven’t played against someone who moved like he did when he played. He was all over the place and low to the ground.”
It sounds like Hayward may have been pumping the wideout’s tires, though, as the C’s forward admitted he won nine of their 10 pingpong games.
“They were all close,” Hayward told ESPN. “It was fun getting a chance to hang out with him and compete in something. We were battling, and by the end we would have an audience watching.”
Table-tennis talk aside, it’s quite accommodating of the Celtics to open their doors for Edelman, who hasn’t played a meaningful game since Super Bowl LI after missing the entire 2017 season due to an ACL injury.
So, if the veteran receiver comes out strong Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts, you can thank Brad Stevens and Co.
