FOXBORO, Mass. -- A frightening accident kept offensive tackle Trent Brown away from the early portion of New England Patriots organized team activities.
Brown revealed Wednesday that he and his brother, Reggie Brown Jr., were involved in an ATV crash earlier this spring. Trent wasn't hurt, but Reggie suffered a serious injury that nearly caused him to lose his arm.
"When I first heard we were going to have OTAs, I told them that I would be here Day 1," Brown explained after the final practice of Patriots minicamp. "Then me and my brother had a tragic accident -- an ATV accident where he almost lost his arm. That's why I was away for three or four weeks.
"My kids were at the house with me, and my brother was -- really, it was a traumatic experience. And for me to be right there beside him in the CanAm alongside him and to see his arm dangling by his skin and a couple ligaments, I was going through it. So I had to get myself together."
Brown said his brother is "doing a little better" now but faces "a long road to recovery."
"A lot of pain," Brown said. "I mean, he got 360 stitches, so it's going to be a long road. But for me, I felt the biggest part on me was just to be there, because that's my brother. We were right there beside each other. We went through it together, and I just wanted to make sure he was going to be OK. He's doing better."
Brown, whom the Las Vegas Raiders traded back to the Patriots in March, arrived in Foxboro, Mass., during the final week of voluntary OTAs. The 2018 Super Bowl champ was a full participant in all three mandatory minicamp practices and projects as New England's starting right tackle.
"I came back and finished the spring strong," Brown said. "I'm glad the organization understood what I was going through, and they allowed me to step away and be with my family."
