Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Devin McCourty Expresses Admiration for Jaylen Brown: 'I'm Excited to See What His Growth Looks Like and How He's Able to Impact the Community'
Tuesday, the New England Patriots held a retirement press conference to honor Devin McCourty. The three-time Super Bowl champion has been a franchise pillar, instrumental to the second iteration of their dynasty.
McCourty earned three Second-Team All-Pro selections and a spot on the Patriots' All-Dynasty team. His 24 playoff starts are the most by a defensive player.
McCourty, a team leader and perennial team captain, also made a massive impact in the community around the New England region. A Ron Burton Community Service Award winner, he and his brother Jason launched Tackle Sickle Cell, an initiative they created to raise money and awareness for a disease that runs in their family.
He and his teammates spoke at the Massachusetts State House in favor of a criminal justice reform bill that got signed into law, raising the minimum age children can get charged in juvenile court.
McCourty, nominated for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award in 2020, also helped get a bill passed to help level the playing field for schools across MA by providing $1.5 billion to underfunded and underserved schools primarily comprised of low-income students and those who don't speak English as their first language.
Celtics' star Jaylen Brown has also used his platform to help progress social justice issues, including organizing a peaceful protest in his home city, Atlanta, in 2020, something Malcolm Brogdon, another Peach State native, at the time, on the Pacers, joined in.
In a recent New York Times interview with Sopan Deb, Brown discussed some of the struggles he has experienced in Boston.
"There’s not a lot of room for people of color, Black entrepreneurs, to come in and start a business…my experience there has been not as fluid as I thought it would be."
Brown said there was also a lack of fluidity as he went through the process of buying a house. If that's the case for an NBA star, imagine what it's like for minorities who don't have that clout and the platform he does.
It makes Brown's advocacy and involvement in local Boston communities even more important to helping a city evolve that has progressed but still has a long way to go.
Following his retirement press conference on Tuesday, in a conversation with NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran, McCourty expressed his admiration for how Brown uses his platform.
"I think JB's a guy that has been a leader on the Celtics, he's very open-minded on how he's gonna go about and tell different things; not shy about using his voice. And I think as he continues to grow, and continues to have life experiences, being a father, different things like that, I'm excited to see what his growth looks like and how he's able to impact the community.
"I've enjoyed watching a guy come in at such a young age and not only think about how do I get the $100 million contract, how do I become an all-time great, but to actually spend time trying to be in the community at 22-23 years old, like that's hard to do, so I have a lot of respect for him."
Further Reading
Kevin Garnett Credits Kobe Bryant's Death for Ending Feud with Ray Allen
Jayson Tatum on Robert Williams' Impact on the Celtics: 'We’re Just a Different Team'
[Film Room] the Primary Problem Plaguing the Celtics' Crunch-Time Defense
