Jack Easterby, who has served the last six seasons as a character coach with the New England Patriots, is leaving the team for a new opportunity, according to Ben Volin and Nora Princiotti of the Boston Globe.
Easterby joined the Patriots in 2013 after Aaron Hernandez’s crimes had led to his departure from the team. During his tenure with the team, Easterby was relied upon to help the franchise navigate the Hernandez situation, Deflategate and, most recently, Josh Gordon.
“My job is to serve anybody and everybody in the building, to help them however I can, to help us be prepared on and off the football field, to be prepared as men, as people, and hopefully stay out of the way,” Easterby said of his role during Super Bowl week, via Ryan Hannable of WEEI. “And then also to be the glue for our team. We have a lot of issues that come up throughout the year, as you can imagine. It’s a roller coaster — a six-month roller coaster that we go through as a team.”
Easterby’s contract expired after the season. The coaching staff found out on Monday that he would not be returning to the team in 2019, electing to pursue other opportunities instead.
Per the report, owner Robert Kraft’s situation “does not sit well” with Easterby and he felt his time with the team had “run its course.”
Easterby was a trusted asset for head coach Bill Belichick and became an influential part of the team’s front office staff.
