Drake Maye is Putting on a Masterclass in How to Respond to Super Bowl Disappointment

Kevin C. Cox. Getty Images.

A quote attributed to 19th century author James Lane Allen, and used as a crutch by every coach, motivational speaker, youth minister, business consultant, and lazy, overpaid sports blogger to ever halfass his way through a post goes, "Adversity does not build character, it reveals it." 

A couple of my favorite examples may be apocryphal, because I picked them up from old timey play-by-play announcers when they had air time to fill. And it's possible I've used them before. But in case you didn't catch on already, I'm the lazy blogger I was referring to, so I'm reusing them here like the crusty sock under a teenager's bed. 

The first involves Bill Russell. After winning eight straight NBA championships, and in Russell's first year as player/coach taking over for a retired Red Auerbach, the Celtics lost in the Eastern Conference final to Philadelphia. And according to legend, the Celts locker room was deathly quiet, as they listened to the 76ers celebration coming through the walls. Russell himself had only walked off the court without a championship once before in his career, and was taking this hard. But he stood up and said to his team, "Alright. Let's go next door and congratulate the winners." And everyone followed him to do exactly that. The next two seasons, the Celtics were champions once again, and Russell retired with 11 rings in 13 seasons.

The other involves pitcher Harvey Haddix, who was with the Pirates when he threw 12 perfect innings before an error, a sacrifice bunt and a double cost him, in order, the perfect game, the no-hitter, and the game. 12 2/3 innings, 1 hit, 0 earned runs, and nothing but a loss to show for it. According to this legend, reporters gathered around Haddix locker and started firing "How do you feel?" questions at him. To which he asked for a minute to gather his thoughts, cracked a beer, drank it, spun in his chair to face the mob and said, "OK, fellas. What did you want to ask me?" And took every question, like a true mensch. 

Which brings me, at last, to the man of character and noble spirit I'm here to discuss. Drake Maye. Just 23 years of age, having faced crushing defeat at the hands of the first opponent to truly outclass the his team all season, Maye has done everything right. From the moment he sucked it up and dealt with the pain of not being able to shake Sam Darnold's hand the way Russell would have:

… to his emotional response to talking about how special the 2025 Patriots were to be a part of:

… he's demonstrated the exact the qualities you look for in your Franchise Quarterback. 

After taking a brief break to fly Ann Michael Maye on a much deserved, well earned vacation to Hawaii and Japan for some R&R and recharge his batteries, he flew almost 7,000 miles, with an average flight time of 14 hours, to be there in Foxboro and greet his newest teammates:

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Within days, he was working out with his receivers:

Mike Reiss, ESPN -  The ties that bind throughout the game of football are always growing, leading to new connections and memorable behind-the-scenes moments. That's one way to describe last week's meetup between Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, three returning wide receivers, and Florida Atlantic University head coach Zach Kittley and his team.

Here's how it unfolded:

Maye and his wife, Ann Michael, had escaped the seemingly never-ending frigid winter in New England for some South Florida sunshine. Receivers Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams were already there, and Maye was looking for a place to throw with them.

Kittley was happy to oblige.

"We have mutual [friends] and he just shot me a text, 'Hey Coach, I'd love to bring the guys out. Would you be willing to let us come use your facility to throw?' I said absolutely." 

So even when he's doing what every Masshole with the means tries to do, go snowbirding in Florida:

… Drake Maye (unlike some of us) turns it into a work trip. 

Next, it was our King and Queen giving back to the community. First, remembering where they came from:

Then it was honoring their loyal subjects by shaving his mighty locks for a great cause:

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And yet, this latest example might be his finest hour all offseason. If there's any doubt about how hard Drake Maye has taken that loss in Santa Clara, let's remove it now. If anyone is convinced he's self-satisfied with the fact in his first full season as an NFL starter he nearly (read, "should have") won the league MVP and led his team to the Super Bowl, you'd better think again:

"We've got some work to do" he says?

Giphy Images.

Giphy Images.

Every step of this is what I want to see from a young, emerging superstar athlete who's getting all the praise heaped on him. (A disproportionate amount of it coming from a lazy, overpaid blogger.) From the dignity with which he conducted himself after the game to the way he's carried himself since to the work he's put in to the fact he's under no delusions. The Pats need to improve in 2026 or they'll never take that all-important next step. And he's just the right man in the right place at the right moment in history to see to it that jump happens. 

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