Out of the spotlight, character coach Jack Easterby has worked to become the spiritual heart of the Patriots' franchise

ATLANTA — The NFL isn’t always the most empathic environment. But Patriots’ character coach Jack Easterby is working to change that, one small act at a time.

“Interjecting empathy and relationships into our locker room?” he told BostonSportsJournal.com. “It’s not a bad thing.”


Listed in the team media guide as character coach/team development, the lanky, high-energy Easterby has been with the team since 2013. He stays under-the-radar most of the time, as far as the outside world is concerned. But truth is he’s as vital as anyone else on the masthead.

His day-to-day can vary: working with the strength coaches when it comes to motivation and creating camaraderie, meeting with players one-on-one, assisting with practice, as well as working with what he calls the “team development” stage of the offseason. For him, it’s all about ministering to the players.

“These are human beings. We all have needs. For me, day-to-day, it’s doing anything and everything I can to serve these guys,” he said. “That’s motivational notes. That’s scripture passages in their lockers. That’s meetings with their families. It’s doing anything we can do to develop them as human beings. And hopefully, help them be prepared to be the best they can in life and in football.

“Day to day, it’s just putting out any type of fire I can put out to help guys feel encouraged and ready to be at their best.”

Easterby describes his job as proactive — he works to create a curriculum for the players before the start of the season in anticipation of the highs and lows they’ll encounter along the way.

“I know where they will be Week 6 emotionally. I know where they will be Week 10 and Week 12. The week before the bye week and after the bye week. After big wins and losses,” he said.

“Individually, you have to be very patient when you deal with individuals and let them be comfortable communicating what they’re comfortable with. But corporately, you have to be proactive. You have to be proactive both in what you’re saying and how you’re saying it, and you also have to realize where the culture is in the moment.”