Patriots rookie Will Campbell loves being a "Boston sports guy"
The Monroe, Louisiana native is all-in on becoming a New Englander. He was out at Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg on Wednesday to host a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new water park, where he used his big frame and agile moves to make some money for the local Boys & Girls Club.
Campbell teamed up with kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg, Leominster and Gardner inside the new Otter Cave Waterworks play zone at Great Wolf Lodge. Campbell and the kids had to fill a big bucket in under 20 minutes using only the park's splash features, like water cannons and tipping buckets.
Campbell did most of the heavy lifting -- and running -- using smaller buckets to fill the bigger one. He and the crew were able to beat the 20-minute buzzer, which earned the Boys & Girls Club a cool $7,500 donation from Great Wolf Lodge.
A fun event on Wednesday as Patriots rookie LT Will Campbell @will_campbell66 helped open up "Otter Cave Waterworks" at the Great Wolf Lodge @GreatWolfLodge in Fitchburg with some help from kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg, Leominster & Gardener 💦🌊 - @wbz @Patriots pic.twitter.com/NKTKh8Zq8b — Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) June 19, 2025
He also made sure to douse the kids as much as he could so they'd be also be dripping fun well after the event ending. A soaking wet Campbell spoke with WBZ-TV's Dan Roche after showing his moves on the splash pad.
"It was intense. They were pouring water all over me and I had to get them back. I told them I'm not the only one who is going to get soaking wet today," joked Campbell.
Campbell is a big kid himself, and will never turn down an opportunity to give back to his new community.
"Being able to come out here and interact with kids -- I was the little kid who used to love doing stuff with older athletes. To be in that position, it's something I'll do every time I can because I was once that little kid," he said.
Will Campbell is now a "Boston sports guy"
Shortly after the Patriots drafted Campbell fourth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, he created some chuckles around New England when he expressed how surprised he was over the amount of trees in the area. As a southern boy, he thought Foxboro was part of Boston, and didn't think he'd see many trees when heading to practice.
"People took that the wrong way, talking about my LSU education," Campbell explained of his tree observation. "Before I got drafted, the furthest north and east I had ever been was Atlanta. I thought the whole time this was in the city of Boston. It was a little different for me."
Campbell has been doing some exploring to understand New England better, and will is will enjoy some time in Boston this weekend. If he thinks he's experienced traffic before, he's in for a surprise.
While the traffic might be a nightmare, the sports scene and the region's pride for their teams is unlike anywhere else. Campbell and the Patriots recently met up with the Boston Celtics at their practice facilities, where they got to meet with head coach Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics brass.
Campbell is most excited to become part of the Boston sports fraternity. Or as he put it, he's excited to become a "Boston sports guy."
"I'm super excited to be a Boston sports guy now. Looking forward to going to a [Celtics] game next year; I've never been to an NBA game before," he said. "For that to be my first one next year, it would be hard to top that."
Campbell also shared his takeaways from his first offseason program with the Patriots, plus his thoughts on playing for Mike Vrabel and protecting Drake Maye. Watch Dan Roche's full 1-on-1 with the Patriots rookie in the video above, and catch it on Sunday night's Sports Final at 11:35 p.m. on WBZ-TV.
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