By the time New England Patriots captain Brenden Schooler arrived at the Sports Illustrated Pavilion at Patriot Place on Tuesday afternoon, fellow special teamer Julian Ashby was already dressed as Woody from Toy Story.
Schooler, a former Texas Longhorn, hoped to secure the eight-piece costume from his favorite Pixar movie for himself. Instead, he pivoted to dressing up as one of the green grasshopper antagonists from A Bug's Life.
"I'm actually really upset," Schooler said, teasing his teammate before the grand reveal of their costumes at the Patriots and New England Revolutions annual Halloween Party for pediatric cancer patients.
"I was gonna text him after this and give him a hard time."
As is tradition, the team foundations host the celebration together and invite children receiving cancer treatment from area hospitals, including Mass General Brigham.
For families dealing with difficult adolescent diagnoses, the event serves to restore a sense of joy and normalcy for kids, their siblings, and parents.
"I'm very excited to be a part of this," said Patriots captain Robert Spillane, who attended the party for his first time since joining the team last year.
"Having two young daughters and seeing them so excited to dress up in their costumes, I know this will bring so much joy to families and these children who are obviously going through some very tough times. To see the smiles on their faces will be an honor tonight."
Spillane, dressed up as Sully from Monsters, Inc., shared that his daughters Nina and Roe were going to be Mike Wazowski and Boo from the same Pixar classic.
At the party, however, 6-foot-9 offensive tackle Lorenz Metz was his wingman, wearing a supersized, lime green Mike Wazowski onesie.
"How is Mike Wazowski so much bigger than Sully?" asked Patriots linebacker Erick Hunter, dressed as Buzz Lightyear minus the helmet.
Along with Schooler, Ashby, Spillane, Metz, and Hunter, teammates Hunter Henry, Tanner Arkin, Kyle Dixon, Julian Hill, Tanner Connor, Karon Prunty, Channing Canada, Benton Witley, and Walter Rouse were also in attendance. Rouse even acquired a bundle of balloons to go along with his Russell costume from the movie Up.
Revolution players Cody Baker, JD Gunn, Ethan Kohler, and the Patriots Cheerleaders went all-out for the Pixar theme, as did both team mascots. Pat Patriot dressed as Mr. Incredible, while Slyde the Fox was Ratatouille.
After the athletes, cheerleaders, and mascots made their grand entrances, they joined more than 40 children and their families to decorate cookies and pumpkins, iron patches onto trick-or-treat bags, and enjoy dinner, candy, and a sundae bar.
Every year, the festive party is one of Schoolers favorite events.
"Besides dressing up with all the guys and looking really goofy, I love spending time with the kids, making them laugh, and seeing them come out of their shell talking about their costumes," Schooler said.
"When kids put costumes on, they kind of get into a different mindset and they're silly and goofy. It's always a fun event to come to, and what they go through on a daily basis is 10 times harder than what we go through as football players. I think I can speak for all the guys here that this touches our hearts. Just to be able to give back this way is such a rewarding feeling."
