David Andrews named 2023 Ron Hobson Media Good Guy Award recipient
BOSTON -- Thus far this season, the Patriots have lost 11 of their 14 games. Each time they do lose, David Andrews -- still wearing his game pants sometimes still in full uniform -- is the first person to step to the podium and answer questions from the media.
Partially for that reason, the longtime Patriots captain and two-time Super Bowl champion was given the 2023 Ron Hobson Media Good Guy Award on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium.
"I appreciate it, guys," Andrews said. "I mean, it's not always easy, getting up to talk to y'all. I appreciate -- you guys have a job and think at the end of the day, we both try to do our jobs. I can appreciate what the media does, because obviously, you are a gateway to our fans. And I think it's just important do to this, because you're not only representing yourself but you're representing the organization, the team, and hopefully the fan base. So I really appreciate it."
While Andrews has certainly earned respect from the media at work, he may use the award to earn some at home.
"My wife thinks I could do better at the media," Andrews said. "But I tell her there's chains of command I'm answering to, you know. She thinks I sound a little too melancholy like the head coach sometimes, I guess. Maybe now that will get her off my back for that."
Andrews was given the award before his usual Wednesday press conference.
"It is an award to formally express our appreciation for how respectfully you've fulfilled your obligations," Boston Herald reporter and president of the New England chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America Andrew Callahan told Andrews at the podium. "You fulfill them with class and professionalism. The truth is you've done that for a long time. But we wanted to wait to give it to you, because the people we tend to give it to leave us."
The award dates back to 2016, when Matthew Slater was the first recipient. Slater was followed by Devin McCourty in 2017, James White in 2018, Stephon Gilmore in 2019, Cam Newton in 2020, Matthew Judon in 2021, and Jakobi Meyers last year in 2022.
Andrews, 31, joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia in 2015. He ended up starting 11 games as a rookie before starting all 16 regular-season games and three postseason games in 2016, winning Super Bowl LI over the Falcons. In his Patriots career, he's played in 117 regular-season games (114 starts) and 12 playoff games (10 starts), winning a second Super Bowl in 2018. Andrews missed the 2019 season due to a pulmonary embolism, but he's returned to play 57 games (and counting) since missing that season. He's also been named a team captain every year since 2017.
