Patriots

Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez opens up about fulfilling ‘lifelong dream’ of buying his parents a house

"That was my whole reason why I started playing football, to be able to take care of my family. It felt amazing."

By Khari Thompson

July 25, 2024

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Christian Gonzalez was all smiles as he approached the microphones with a bag of Sour Patch candy that he planned to save for a post-practice snack.

The second-year Patriots cornerback said he is excited to be back on the field after a shoulder injury cut his rookie season short last year. His participation was somewhat limited during the spring, but now he’s ready to hit the ground running.

“It’s the best feeling in the world, being able to do what I love,” Gonzalez said. “Being held back from it was hard, but that’s in the past. I’m so excited and blessed to be out here and take it day-by-day.”

Gonzalez’s face lit up when he was asked about buying his parents a house during the offseason.

“That was my lifelong dream. That was my whole reason why I started playing football, to be able to take care of my family. It felt amazing.”

Gonzalez said the purchase wasn’t a total surprise to his parents, who had some involvement with the process. He didn’t tell them exactly where it would be or what it would look like. But, they were surprised with the finished product and shed a few tears of joy, Gonzalez said.

“It was kind of surreal,” Gonzalez said. “I’m still processing but it was just such a crazy feeling, an amazing feeling. To be able to see their smiles on their faces is something that I always wanted to do.”

There are high expectations for Gonzalez this season, as he has shown potential to be a shutdown corner. One teammate, Jonathan Jones, compared Gonzalez’s quiet demeanor and playmaking ability to former Patriot and multi-time Pro Bowler Stephon Gilmore.

Gonzalez said he’s talked about football with Gilmore before and appreciated the opportunity.

“One of the best to ever do it,” Gonzalez said of Gilmore. “He plays with great smarts and he knows the game really well. I’ve spoke to him a couple times and for him to tell me that and watch his film, you can see how he played like that, just trying to mimic certain things like that but it’s real cool to be able to talk to someone like that anytime that I need to or want to talk about ball.”

Recovering from his injury and returning to the field were important first steps. Now Gonzalez aims to show what he can do in year two.

“Every position is important to get reps, especially corner. It’s all about technique, it’s all about being out there, so doing that is huge,” Gonzalez said. “I feel like I’ve improved but I feel like there’s so much more where I can take my game so I’m excited for it.”