FOXBORO, Mass. — As red, white and blue confetti rained down on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium turf, Lawrence Guy faced a predicament: Where was he supposed to put his helmet?
Was he supposed to just hold it in his hand? Or keep it on his head? Or hand it off to a team staffer? Or toss it aside and hope nobody swiped it, like someone had done with Tom Brady’s jersey two years earlier?
It was a question that never had crossed Guy’s mind until moments earlier — when the New England Patriots had closed out a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams to give the veteran defensive lineman his first Super Bowl title — and, strangely, stands out as one of his clearest memories from that unforgettable night in Atlanta.
“Man, it’s a blessing,” Guy said Thursday, recalling the post-Super Bowl LIII scene while speaking with reporters at Gillette Stadium. “To have my family on that field and to cherish that moment and cherish what you have worked so hard to get to that day — not so many people get the opportunity to actually play in that game, and having the opportunity and being there, it’s eye-opening.
“And actually winning, you see the confetti all over the place. You get your family, you get your teammates, you get the celebration, and the first thing you think in your head is like, ‘Man, where do I put my helmet at? I don’t know where to put my helmet. Do I keep it in my hand? Do I throw it? Geez, what am I going to do with it?’
“But other than that, it’s just a blessing, and I’m glad we got the opportunity to experience that with my family and with my teammates.”
The Super Bowl victory highlights an eight-year NFL journey for Guy that included stints with the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens. Green Bay, Indy and San Diego all cut him after less than two seasons. He became a contributor in Baltimore but never a full-time starter.
That chance didn’t come until Guy signed with New England before the 2017 season. That year, he started 15 regular-season games and all three playoff games for a Patriots team that lost in Super Bowl LII.
In 2018, Guy quietly became one of the NFL’s premier run-stuffing defensive tackles, posting the sixth-best run defense grade among interior defenders on Pro Football Focus and the 10th-best overall grade for a player at his position.
Guy, who entered the league as a seventh-round draft pick in 2011, credited the Patriots’ open-mindedness for unlocking his full potential.
“With the Pats, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you got drafted at, it’s all about your opportunity to give,” the 29-year-old said. “Everybody has a chance, and that’s the best thing about playing here and playing under Bill (Belichick). We’ve got a chance to perform. We’ve got a chance to go out there and earn your role.
“I got that chance, and I’m just rolling with it and continuing to bond with my teammates and continuing to bring in fellow teammates coming up from the draft or undrafted to show them my story so they can understand they’ve got a chance, also.”
Guy said his outlook on life “hasn’t changed at all” now that he’s a Super Bowl champion. He’s still focused on continuing his career while serving as an example to his teammates of what can be achieved through hard work and perseverance.
“I’ve got the same mentality,” Guy said. “You can’t change because you won a game. The only thing you can do is continue to work harder and harder to try to get back and try to improve your everyday life and improve your next year coming up and try to recover from anything that you had.
“Pretty much, it’s sharing your moments and sharing your experience with other players so they can get the opportunity to hopefully get there one day.”
