New England Patriots
“I couldn’t even work out 6-7, and now it’s Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye” Vrabel stated of the pattern.
Having a nickname cited in citation marks is nothing new, particularly in sports activities.
There’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in wrestling. There’s “Broadway Joe” Namath, “Imply Joe” Greene, and “Prime Time” Deion Sanders in professional soccer, to call just a few.
Nevertheless, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has lately been part of a brand new twist on the phenomenon. He solely has one nickname listed on his Pro Football Reference page, and it’s his personal first and final identify.
There’s no Tom Terrific or TB12-style nickname for the second-year quarterback but. He’s Drake “Drake Maye” Maye.
Patriots left sort out Will Campbell appeared to get a kick out of it when he poked his head into considered one of Maye’s press conferences final month. He got here simply to say the nickname in entrance of the TV cameras earlier than strolling again into the locker room.
“Get out of right here rookie,” a smiling Maye said. “Um, sorry about that.”
What does the nickname imply? Even Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel isn’t fairly positive.
““I simply heard about it ten seconds in the past,” Vrabel stated final month on WEEI. “I couldn’t even work out 6-7, and now it’s Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye-Maye, I don’t know.”
Kayshon Boutte additionally appeared perplexed by the nickname in a video clip that the Patriots posted to their X account.
“Hey does anyone know what which means when once they be like Drake ‘Drake Maye’ Maye?” Boutte requested his teammates on the sideline throughout Monday night time’s win towards the Giants. “Like, what the hell does that imply? They’re giving him a center identify I assume.”
A person on X, @drakemayeloverr, tagged Boutte in a submit providing to clarify the nickname “anytime.” The @drakemayeloverr account has round 45,000 followers and routinely posts a wide range of content material about Maye starting from memes and movies to easily tweeting his identify.
Maye was requested concerning the account throughout a current interview on ESPN’s NFL Countdown.
“Yeah, my spouse and a bunch of my associates at all times chortle about it,” Maye stated. “I’m wondering who it’s.”
The person behind the Drake Maye Lover account sat down with Sports Illustrated for an interview again in October. SI quoted him anonymously, saying that he “selected to not reveal his identify to maintain up appearances.”
The 22-year-old Patriots fan didn’t clarify what the nickname means within the interview, however stated he’s glad that Maye is getting consideration on social media.
“I wouldn’t say I had actually any half in that,” the X person stated. “Drake Maye’s play speaks totally for itself. For those who’ve watched him in any respect the previous couple years, you’d know he’s at all times performed like this. I’m simply glad the remainder of the league is lastly beginning to discover as properly.”
May the joke be that Maye is so good at soccer that his precise identify can stand in for a nickname? Maybe. Perhaps it was the dearth of a catchy nickname for the younger MVP candidate that impressed somebody to throw some concepts towards the wall and see what caught.
Both method, the nickname has discovered its method into the Patriots’ locker room and throughout social media.
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