Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is following in the footsteps of Tom Brady, far beyond just the football field.
Maye has taken over the reins from Brady as an ambassador for Best Buddies, an international organization that supports countless individuals with intellectual disabilities across New England.
This spring will mark Maye’s third year as honorary chairman of the Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port, which draws over 1,000 participants to Cape Cod to raise funds to support the cause. Last year’s event raised over $4 million.
The event features cycling, running and walking races along with clambakes. This year, it will include a golf outing with the Patriots’ star second-year quarterback, set to appear in his first Super Bowl on Sunday.
Anthony Shriver founded Best Buddies International in 1989. The organization operates in 44 countries and all 50 states, reaching roughly a million people a year. He called it a “blessing” to have Maye as an ambassador in Massachusetts.
“He helps us grow our programs to serve people with intellectual disabilities, which, at the end of the day, is what the whole thing is about,” Shriver told the Herald. “It is great to have people share our values and to have good quality people.”
“There are a lot of celebrities and a lot of talented athletes out there,” the founder added, “but to have the same values as someone is super important to us and our culture. Drake 100% fits the bill.”
Maye is leading two fundraising initiatives through the Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port. Those are Team Drake Maye, and Team 10, in which participants can join by donating $10 a month or a one-time $110 donation to receive an exclusive Team 10 t-shirt. Proceeds support friendship, jobs, and leadership programs.
“We are slowly but surely building it,” Shriver said of partnering with Maye, “not putting a lot of pressure on him to do a bunch of stuff, but to kind of work with him and his family, … and allow us grow our programming in Massachusetts.”
Brady, who led the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships, partnered with Best Buddies for over 20 years. During his time, Shriver estimated that the legendary quarterback helped raise more than $100 million for the organization.
Brady served as the honorary chairman of the annual challenge event on the Cape, but he also hosted two-hand touch football games at Harvard Stadium.
Before the Patriots selected Maye with the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Shriver said a partnership with the quarterback from the University of North Carolina had already been formed.
A sports agent on the Best Buddies board of directors, Brad Blank, knows Maye’s father, Mark Maye, initiating a connection.
“We thought we’d get him involved with Best Buddies; he’d be the kind of guy to be involved, no matter where he went, whatever city,” Shriver said of Maye.
“We thought when he went to New England, it was the perfect shot for us. … To get Drake to step in and kind of fill in where Tom left off, it obviously has been way better than we thought it’d be.”
Maye agrees: “I think it’s a perfect fit… what I represent,” the quarterback has said in the past. “You realize that there’s bigger things out there than football”.
