WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) 鈥� Magnolia resident Cameron Corbett, 25, formed a unique relationship with the star quarterback and the team the Philadelphia Eagles face in the first round of the playoffs Sunday.
Some of the players on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers follow Corbett on Instagram.
This includes star receiver and former Buc Antonio Brown, who has 6.2 million followers and recently posted a photo of him with Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West.
Corbett built a connection with the Buccaneers last summer during training camp when he interned as an athletic trainer.
鈥淚 got to watch Tom Brady get better every day,鈥� Corbett said. 鈥淚 got to watch Delaware鈥檚 own Chris Godwin show me that he鈥檚 one of the best players to ever come from Delaware. It was surreal.鈥�
GRONK: 鈥榊O, CAM IS A CELEBRITY!鈥�
The Caesar Rodney High School alum reminisced about the time star tight end Rob Gronkowski stole his phone in the Bucs locker room last summer.
鈥淗e said, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 where I remember you from; you look familiar. You鈥檙e Duron鈥檚 cousin,鈥� 鈥� Corbett recalled. He had shown Gronk a photo of himself with his cousin Duron Harmon, who played for the Patriots.
鈥淗e took my phone and he ran around the whole locker room. He showed it to O.J. Howard. He showed some of the defensive players. He was like, 鈥榊o, Cam is a celebrity!鈥欌��
From that point on, Corbett said, he and Gronk jelled.
Gronk鈥檚 big-kid persona is as real in person as it is in his TV commercials, Corbett said. During the internship, he didn鈥檛 witness the tight end have a negative interaction with any of his teammates, he said.
鈥淗e鈥檒l laugh. He鈥檒l smile. He鈥檒l say something to me and keep on going, and I鈥檒l say something back to him and we鈥檒l laugh,鈥� Corbett said.
鈥淗e was actually a whole-hearted person. He would talk to me like he cared about me, like he knew me.鈥�
MEETING BRADY, 鈥榃E ALWAYS CLICKED鈥�
Growing up, Corbett was a fan of Tom Brady. Now he鈥檚 a whole air conditioner.
The 25-year-old desperately wanted to prove himself during the internship, and he knew he鈥檇 accomplish that by working his tail off and treating the athletes like normal people.
One day he was in the nutrition room with another intern when Brady walked in.
Corbett knew he couldn鈥檛 act star-struck.
鈥�(Brady) said, 鈥楬ey, how are ya鈥檒l doing?鈥� I said, 鈥業鈥檓 doing good,鈥� 鈥� said Corbett, who earned his master鈥檚 degree in athletic training from West Chester University in 2021.
He took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with the three-time MVP.
鈥淚 said, 鈥楬ey, you know my relative?鈥� (Brady) was like, 鈥榃ho鈥檚 your relative?鈥� I said, 鈥楧uron Harmon鈥� and he said, 鈥橭h, Du 鈥� I love Du. He said, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 a real good guy. I love his family. Please tell him I asked for him.鈥�
鈥淓ver since then, we always clicked. Anytime we walked past each other or saw each other, we always clicked.鈥�
Dr. Katherine Morrison, chair of the department of medicine at West Chester University, wasn鈥檛 surprised that stars on the Bucs connected with Corbett.
鈥淚t makes me smile because that鈥檚 exactly what I saw with him. I mean, Cam was just so wonderful,鈥� Morrison said. 鈥淲hen I would go down to the athletic training room, I would see his interaction with the athletes. He just cared. He was present. You can tell his motivation to help them was authentic.鈥�
DURON HARMON CALLS COUSIN 鈥楬UMBLE鈥�
Now with the Atlanta Falcons, Harmon said his cousin made a good impression in Tampa Bay because he put in the work.
鈥淚 think me being teammates with Tom, Gronk and Antonio (Brown) had very little to do with how they felt about Cam,鈥� Harmon said this week, one day after the Falcons鈥� season ended.
鈥淎t the end of the day, when you鈥檙e in the National Football League, it鈥檚 a business and everything is evaluated: How do you do your job? Do you do your job well? Are you consistent? I think Cameron was doing his job at an extremely high level. When you do that, people are attracted to you.鈥�
He said it doesn鈥檛 hurt that his cousin possesses a special quality.
鈥淗e also has the personality,鈥� Harmon said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a very humble being. He works hard. He wants to be great at his craft.鈥�
ANTONIO BROWN 鈥楧EFINITELY HELPED ME鈥�
With 6.2 million followers on Instagram, Antonio Brown is following only 459 people.
One of them is Corbett.
Brown has been in the news recently, mostly for leaving the field during a game. Corbett said he got to see a different side of Brown.
鈥�(Brown) was a good mentor to me. He definitely helped me, a young Black man from Delaware.鈥�
He said Brown helped him network over the summer with TB12, Tom Brady鈥檚 wellness brand. The company has a performance and recovery facility in Tampa.
Corbett received a job offer to be an athletic trainer with TB12 in the fall. He said AB Facetimed him with the news.
He will start after he passes his certification exam and becomes licensed.
BRADY MIGHT BECOME HIS BOSS
During Corbett鈥檚 internship with the Bucs, he was assigned to work with the team鈥檚 running backs in the scorching Florida heat.
He worked seven days a week and his day began at 5 a.m. and typically wouldn鈥檛 end until around 7 p.m. During preseason games, he said, his day might not end until 2 or 3 a.m.
His duties included helping athletes rehab, get warmed up, taped, wrapped and stay hydrated.
In order to stand out, Corbett said, he鈥檇 hustle to get equipment and water bottles to players.
One time Brady asked if Corbett could get him another wristband because his got so sweaty that he couldn鈥檛 read his playbook.
鈥淚t took me not even one minute to run there and come back. I sprinted,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Tom Brady. I want to stay here, not just fit in.鈥�
Morrison said that kind of determination from Corbett is how he won her over at West Chester.
鈥淚 never questioned his work ethic or his motivation,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e knew how to grind, which, you know, that鈥檚 how work is sometimes. It can be a grind. He knew how to do that and never complained. He just brought something to the environment that was positive.鈥�
Corbett said he sends motivational texts and messages to some of the guys before games, just as he does with his three-time Super Bowl-winning cousin, Harmon.
He said hopes he can pass his certification exam as soon as possible so he can work with TB12.
Harmon, who has worked with TB12 during his Patriot days, said Corbett would be in good hands in Tampa. 鈥淭hey did a good job of helping me continue to stay healthy and get on the field and perform at a high level,鈥� Harmon said.
鈥淚鈥檓 definitely excited for Cam and it鈥檇 be a good starting place for him so that he can continue to learn his craft and master his craft. So that he can be the best athletic trainer that he can be,鈥� his cousin said.
Meanwhile, Corbett said it鈥檚 a no-brainer who he鈥檚 going to root for when the Bucs play the Eagles in Tampa on Sunday.
鈥淚鈥檓 gonna cheer for the Bucs because they employed me (over the summer). And I鈥檝e always been a Tom Brady fan, maybe because of Duron.鈥�
The NFL Wildcard game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be broadcast on FOX at 1 p.m. Sunday.
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