FOXBORO, Mass. — Nearly seven months ago, Houston served as the site for one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history, as the New England Patriots overcame a 25-point second-half deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime of Super Bowl LI.
Given the Patriots’ tie to the city, it comes as no surprise that the team has been affected by the toll that Hurricane Harvey has taken on East Texas. And after the Patriots’ 40-38 loss in their preseason finale against the New York Giants on Thursday, head coach Bill Belichick made sure to let the people of Houston know that his team was thinking of them.
“I want to give a little shoutout to Houston,” Belichick said. “We had a great experience down there in February, a lot of great relationships with the Texans and the (University of Houston) down there. We’ve got some players with some family down there, so we just want to let them know we’re thinking about them.”
Patriots receiver Danny Amendola grew up 30 miles north of the city in The Woodlands, Texas, while linebacker Elandon Roberts was raised in Port Arthur, Texas, and played collegiately at the University of Houston. Cornerback Eric Rowe, a Klein, Texas native, also acknowledged that his family has been affected by the flood.
Aside from speaking with the media, Belichick also addressed the team as a whole in wake of the disaster. After Thursday’s game, rookie Austin Carr discussed how the Patriots have rallied around each other and supported those on the team who are closely affected.
“He (Belichick) addressed the team a couple days ago,” Carr said “There are a lot of guys in the locker room that are affected by it; loved ones, family. A lot of guys are chipping in, too, who want to donate and help with the cause. He definitely gave us some good words and he also brought up Matt Slater to address the team and pray over the people that are affected by it. It’s awesome to see the people of Texas come together in relief and support one another.”
The undrafted wideout still is new to the Patriots, but it hasn’t taken him long to realize what the team is all about.
“It’s a community here,” Carr said. “This locker room is a team environment, guys care about each other. We’re just lifting one another up.”
The Patriots’ efforts to help Houston started from the top, as owner Robert Kraft pledged to match up to $1 million in donations.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
