Deatrich Wise Jr.

The physicality of a defensive end. The vision of a CEO.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award is the NFL’s highest honor off the field. It is presented by Nationwide to the player who most exemplifies the combination of community service and playing excellence. When the Patriots nominated Deatrich Wise Jr. for that award, it wasn’t a PR gesture. It was the culmination of years of consistent, structured community work: and Brunswick made sure the media strategy matched the moment.

Wise arrived in New England as a defensive end with an unusual quality: he moved with the physicality of a 6’5” pass rusher and thought with the patience of someone playing a longer game. Brunswick recognized early that the community work wasn’t separate from the brand: it was the brand. The Wise Up Foundation, which drives education and workforce development programming, was built to be durable. Not a charity golf tournament. Not a celebrity bowling night. A foundation with actual programming and measurable outcomes.

The Bridge 2 Trades program is a workforce initiative for young people learning skilled trades: electricians, plumbers, builders. Wise is not simply a patron of this work. He shows up. When he surprised the program’s director with a trip to the Super Bowl, the story that ran on Patriots.com didn’t feel like a press release because it wasn’t. It felt like a genuine moment because it was: and Brunswick’s job was to make sure that genuine moment reached the audience it deserved.

“You can show up for the photo, or you can show up as an owner. We helped Deatrich show up as both.”

The Wise Big Man Camp is annual. Young linemen come to work with one of the most respected big men in New England football. It is the kind of initiative that does not generate a single press cycle but builds something more valuable: a lasting connection between an athlete and a community that sees him as more than a Sunday highlight.

The Wise Block Party: now in its seventh year: brings 5,000+ people to Boston each summer. It is one of the most consistently attended athlete-driven community events in New England. The Walter Payton nomination was the moment that validated years of layered, deliberate work. Brunswick helped Wise understand from the beginning that community work is not a side project: it is the core of a post-football life that actually means something. He is building it in real time, and the foundation is already in place.