Patriots receiver Mack Hollins explains why he goes barefoot: 'Your feet will be your root' on the field
The veteran has gone viral for his aversion to shoes
•
1 min read
Mack Hollins isn't your average NFL wide receiver. The New England Patriots veteran, who's in the midst of a training camp battle for a starting job, previously went viral for his "Tarzan" habits, including eating without utensils and going barefoot as often as possible, including to practice. It turns out the aversion to shoes is actually a personal method of staying on the field at all.
The 31-year-old Hollins recently welcomed CBS Sports' Bryant McFadden to his home for an inside look at his unconventional mind, declaring his barefoot philosophy as both a loosely medical and scientific experiment:
"We're all electric beings, we've got a charge going through us," Hollins explained, "and this allows us to get rid of that charge throughout the day."
More than that, Hollins said, the barefoot approach allows him to feel more confident about staying healthy in a league often riddled with lower-body injuries.
"A tree that doesn't have a great root system will fall over when a storm hits," he said. "Similar to our bodies, your feet will be your root. Yes, you can be big and strong and all that, but when a storm comes, whether that's a cut you didn't expect or a hit you didn't expect ... it can only go up one way, so it goes from the ankle to the knee to the hip. ... I'm not a doctor, but I feel like there's a connection ... [prioritizing] strength where it dissipates force. ... I do feel better, whether mentally or physically."
Sporting a "Free the Feet" sweatshirt, Hollins also retold the backstory of his adopting the practice: He was first resistant to recommendations made by Australian physical therapists who flew to Philadelphia while he played for the Eagles from 2017-2019. They encouraged him to "use muscles I hadn't used" by shedding shoes and walking laps. He was "stubborn," he said, but he also "couldn't do anything without pain," suggesting he would've retired if he hadn't found a fix for lower-leg issues.
The practice worked, and now he's got no plans to give it up.
"It may seem goofy on the outside," he said, "but it's never just, 'I'm gonna try this today.' ... There's a story behind it."
