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“You go throughout days here that can be long, that can be short, that can be frustrating, that can be all of that,” Jason McCourty said. “I think all of us have reminders of why we do it.”
Among the Patriots paraphernalia, football gear, and promotional material in players’ lockers are small motivational pick-me-ups. For many, they involve family.
Tight end Ben Watson has a number of art projects from his seven children, the latest being a clay creation from his 8-year-old son Isaiah. The little sculpture includes Watson’s No. 84, the 8 made of blue clay and the 4 made of red, in front of a goal post. Watson had told Isaiah he would put it in his locker, so once he did, he made sure to take a picture to show him.
“This is where Daddy goes to work every day,” Watson said. “They want to be a part of it. I think everybody who has kids in here, they want their kids to think of them when they’re gone.”
Captain Matthew Slater, in his 12th season, has taped up two photos of his wife and three kids, who are 4 months, 2 years, and 4 years old. Slater said the pictures, hanging at eye level, are reminders that he represents more than just himself when he takes the field.
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“Life off the field now is probably the best thing I have going for me,” Slater said. “It’s so much fun to be a husband. It’s what I prayed for as a youngster, to be able to have my own family. To live that dream is better than playing football — it’s better than anything I’ve experienced.
This season, Slater’s locker also features a new addition: a wooden nativity scene that he received for Christmas. Slater already keeps one in his house year-round but decided to place the recent gift in his locker, joining the Bible verses he keeps in his locker.
“Just to remind me of my real motivation, my real why,” Slater said. “Initially, when I first came into the league, I never felt comfortable enough to make my locker home. Now that I’m a little later in my career, it’s important to me to have reminders for myself of why I’m doing my job.”
Not all locker mementos are as sincere as Slater’s, however. Since his rookie season in 2015, long snapper Joe Cardona has kept a certificate of completion for becoming a urinalysis program coordinator in the Navy. Cardona, who graduated from the Naval Academy with a degree in economics, calls himself more of a jokester, interested in comedic over sentimental value.
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“My rookie year, [my teammates] were like, ‘Oh, what do you do?’ ” Cardona said. “Well, you could look at this. I’m qualified to do this technically.”
Seemingly the most popular locker room item resides inside running back Brandon Bolden’s stall. It’s a 29-pound boombox that’s nearly 3 feet long and has been with the Patriots since Bolden purchased it in 2016. Even when Bolden left for a season with the Miami Dolphins, he didn’t bring the “Bumpboxx” with him, instead leaving it in the hands of his locker neighbor James White.
“Everybody had the small personal speakers, and it was like eight guys in one locker trying to listen to one speaker,” Bolden said. “So, I got the OK from the equipment guys and the coaches. They were like, ‘It’s your locker room, y’all do what y’all want.’ ”
Whenever the Patriots have more than 10 minutes together in the locker room, Bolden said he’ll turn on the tunes. He doesn’t have a genre of choice, often gauging the mood and taking requests from his teammates.
“It just helps build camaraderie in the room,” Bolden said.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @nicolecyang.
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January 05, 2020 at 06:58AM
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Here is what Patriots players have in their locker stalls - The Boston Globe
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