It’s that time of year again.
For as long as NEFJ has been lucky enough to cover the Patriots daily (year five now), we always try to ask a bunch of players for their favorite high school or college memories centered around Thanksgiving.
This year, I was able to get a good mix of guys that have experienced playing on the actual day, while others were shocked to learn that New England and a few other places have games on Turkey Day morning.
So, here are some of the 2025 Patriots’ favorite memories from Thanksgiving:
Drake Maye
“I heard they play on Thanksgiving, that’s pretty cool. You grow up watching it (Thanksgiving football) on Thursdays, I know up here it’s a little different because they play. But, for me, it was watching the NFL and on Fridays we had high school playoff games. So, Thanksgiving’s always a time where it feels like football means a little extra.”
Brendan Schooler
“No, we never played (in high school) on Thanksgiving. We played Thanksgiving week. We all thought it was really cool to still be playing during Thanksgiving because it means you were still in the playoffs. You’re doing really well. So, I think we practiced on Thanksgiving. So, to be able to have a good practice with the guys…it’s like that different feeling you’re playing on a Thanksgiving week, especially in high school. But, yeah I haven’t been home for Thanksgiving in I don’t know how long. I’d say one of my favorite memories was probably that practice and then we always used to go over to my Aunt Susan’s house who lived like 10 minutes away from us. Like, everybody was there and it was…always playing sports. Always shooting pool, playing ping pong. We always joked that it wasn’t a party unless one of the grandkids was crying because we were playing too rough. I’d say those are my favorite memories.”
Tommy DeVito
“Honestly, it was probably before high school when I was a little kid, going to the high school game on Thanksgiving and going to play football on the side with all my friends while the game was going on. I’m talking like seven, eight years old. That’s probably my most fond memories. Playing wise, my sophomore year of high school…I was the backup and they started me for that game specifically. I rolled in that game, played against St. Joe’s Regional. We all played well and everything, which was great. That’s my biggest memory from high school on Thanksgiving.”
Hunter Henry
“We always played on Friday (in high school). My favorite memory is probably just being at my grandma’s house with all the family together and obviously, I think football was always involved. The games were on so, it was always special. I think two of my favorite games was playing on Thanksgiving in league (NFL), so those were cool…I had the privilege in high school, we were pretty good, so every year we were playing every Thanksgiving weekend. Just used to going in there early and practicing and being with your boys and then going over to grandma’s house afterward. Pretty cool.”
TreVeyon Henderson
“Nah, I never played on Thanksgiving actually. That would be crazy, playing on Thanksgiving in high school. That’s my first time I ever heard that, a high school game on Thanksgiving. College was the worst. I’m away from my family, but the good thing is, it was rivalry week. We were getting ready for The Team Up North. That was the game you looked forward to in college.”
K’Lavon Chaisson
“Never played on actual Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving time is usually like the third round of playoffs in Texas. It’s always a dope time to play football, especially during that time when it’s the playoffs, so you’re playing meaningful football then too. We definitely practiced on Thanksgiving. We got it in in the morning and then got out early so everybody could get home and chill with their families.”
Robert Spillane
“Yeah, I never played a game, but we always had family – I remember early Thanksgiving morning – getting together and just having huge games. I particularly remember my grandfather who instilled football into myself and my cousins and really just made it something we really looked forward to every year. He was the all-the-time snapper for both teams. To have those memories is something I cherish.”
Khyiris Tonga
“I never played on Thanksgiving in high school. That would have been super dope. I’ve only played on Thanksgiving in the league (NFL)…but, my favorite memory in general is just the food, obviously. I’m a big guy. Family time, the food, it’s always a great time.”
Morgan Moses
“I haven’t (in high school), but we (Virginia) always played Virginia Tech on Thanksgiving week. I don’t think we’ve beaten them in a long time, I’m going to age on the side of 15+ years and this year it’s going down, for sure…I grew up up in a household where my mom’s from Philly, my dad’s a Cowboys fan, my brother was a Giants fan. So, growing up we had to watch the Dallas game every Thursday. It was a big thing for my family…for the (high school) kids to play on Thursday morning, that’s something they’ll never forget. That’s monumental and a great experience for them.”
Garrett Bradbury
“No, I didn’t get to in high school or college. That’s pretty cool they do that around here, it kind of makes me want to go to a game. But, honestly, the best memories is being around family and watching football all day. Three games on a Thursday, like, you can’t beat that. That’s what it was in my house. It was a big feast. Fried turkey, smoked turkey, all that. It’s all about taking time to give thanks for what you have and how fortunate we are. So, yeah, I love Thanksgiving.”