By Ava Fernandez
NEFJ Correspondent
FOXBOROUGH – Just a few weeks after graduating college, I found myself standing on the sidelines at Patriots minicamp on Tuesday, roster and notes in hand, covering an NFL team for the first time as I begin my post-graduate career in sports media.
It’s been just 23 days since earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, with a sports concentration, from UMass Amherst. From selling my couch and kitchen table on Facebook Marketplace, dancing to our party size JBL speaker in my living room with my roommates, to saying goodbye to late-nights at McGuirk Alumni Stadium covering UMass Football. I’m just a recent graduate, balancing waitressing shifts at two new restaurants and life after college, grateful to already be standing on an NFL sideline covering the games I grew up watching with my dad yelling at the TV every Sunday.
The transition from college to the real world has come with uncertainty and a lot of figuring things out day to day. Sports media has been the goal for a while, something I’ve worked toward throughout school, but the path hasn’t always been clear or certain. That’s what made today stand out, it was one of the first real chances to step into that world in a professional setting and start building toward it.
That’s part of what made today significant. Just two years ago, during the fall of my junior year of college, I got an opportunity to work for UMass Football’s NIL collective, which at the time was called “The Midnight Ride Collective.” Never having played football before, I made videos and went to practices, getting my first real look at the behind-the-scenes side of football, beyond just the statistics. The following year, I got the opportunity to report for an internship with NEFJ alongside Kevin and John covering UMass Football. Around that same exact time, my dad brought out a mini whiteboard with green and red markers, drawing the “X’s and O’s” for defense and offense and taught me play-by-play in my living room, where I really started to understand the game beyond just watching it.
Fast forward to Tuesday, and that path brought me to Patriots minicamp. Today’s coverage began at 12:45 p.m. inside the Patriots’ press room, where Mike Vrabel addressed the media for about 15 minutes before practice. From there, media moved down to the field – dodging quite a bit of World Cup fencing and security along the way – where defensive assistant coaches spoke at separate microphones set up in front of New England Patriots backdrops, surrounded by cameras, reporters, and about 10 local news stations. It was packed.
Once interviews wrapped up, players began filtering out from the New Balance Athletics Center at different times before practice. I was assigned to follow A.J. Brown for the day, except early on it took me about 15 minutes to let alone find his number. Brown spent much of the early portion of practice warming up with Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins while coaches like Todd Downing observed closely participating in the drills.
Practice itself is broken into about 13 periods that all run for a different amount of minutes with media filming access limited depending on the segment, and all reporting must be done after practice.
On the field, Drake Maye connected with A.J. Brown on a back-shoulder touchdown on just the third throw of the day, one of the more notable early offensive plays. Christian Gonzalez did not participate in team periods amid ongoing contract-related circumstances, while Kayshon Boutte was active throughout the entire practice and looked like his usual self. First round draft pick from University of Utah, Caleb Lomu, primarily worked at right tackle, with a few reps on the left side. This of course, could be an ongoing point of contention for the foreseeable future.
Several other players who did not participate in full team drills were also closely observed, including linebacker Harold Landry (on a bike), defensive end Gabe Jacas (still unsigned) and offensive tackle Morgan Moses, who left a recent voluntary minicamp practice. Throughout the two-plus hours, there was a consistent emphasis on communication and energy, with players and coaches reacting immediately after successful plays.
After practice, I attended post-practice media sessions with Christian Gonzalez, Hunter Henry, and Kayshon Boutte before heading back into the media room to gather my things. From there, I drove home after a full day at my first Patriots minicamp, going back over my notes and everything that had happened on the field.
Now, I’ve been sitting down to piece it all together and edit this story, reflecting on a first day that felt like a real step forward in the career I’ve been working toward.
Can’t wait for day two later this week!