Head coach Mike Vrabel said the Patriots offered DeMario “Pop” Douglas an excused absence to attend his uncle’s funeral. Douglas declined, asking to be treated like any other week — no reduced snaps, no special favors — and to play the game as a farewell.
“We told him he could be away,” Vrabel said. “Pop looked me in the eye and said, ‘Coach, I want to play. Don’t change a thing.’ That’s the kind of responsibility and courage this locker room respects.” Team operations quietly booked a postgame flight so Douglas could return to his family that night.
Before kickoff, Douglas wrapped his wrist with two short words and kept media requests to a minimum. He told coaches exactly where he wanted to line up and which installs he preferred — with one request:
“If I mess up, coach me hard.”
When it was over, Douglas hugged his teammates and handed the game ball to the equipment manager with instructions to deliver it to his family. “
He played with a heavy heart and laser focus,” captain David Andrews said. “We just matched his energy.”
The club plans to set aside time early this week to
honor Douglas’s uncle in the team facility and will announce a community initiative Douglas helped shape. In this hypothetical scenario, Douglas donates his game check to the family’s arrangements.
Douglas spoke briefly, voice low but firm:
