Lonie Paxton played 12 seasons in the NFL as a long snapper with the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos. Paxton won three Super Bowls in four appearances with Tom Brady and company during New England’s glory days. Playing on those Patriots teams, under Coach Bill Belichick, provided a unique perspective.
“When you’re playing for Coach Belichick, whether you win by 40 or lose by 40, he’s always the same guy,” Paxton recalled to OSDB Sports. “If you were flying high thinking you were great, he’d pull you down where you needed to be, and when you were down in the dumps he would give you the tools to get out of it. I always respected him for that. When I was leaving New England for Denver and out for dinner with my wife to celebrate new beginnings, I missed a phone call from Coach. He left me a two-minute voicemail and it was one of the most heartfelt messages I’ve ever received in my life.”
“Coach Belichick was saying ‘We really appreciate your time here, you meant so much to that small specialist unit which led to some big game-winning kicks and great moments in Patriots’ history.’ His message made me tear up. He doesn’t really seem to appreciate you at the moment, in the heat of battle, but then when it’s time to move on he shows you that he noticed and remembered everything that you did.”
Paxton closed out his professional football career with the Broncos in 2012, riding off into the sunset to enjoy his post-pigskin existence. During the dozen years that Paxton played in the NFL, he had direct-line-of-sight concerning the physical effects of playing contact sports.
Many of Paxton’s friends and colleagues struggled with the aftermath of sustained head injuries over the years. Paxton was fortunate enough to dodge that particular bullet, but saw the importance of shining some light on a dark situation.
The consistent car-crash type impacts that some athletes endure on a daily basis can result in concussions, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI).
Many of the individuals who have suffered these sorts of injuries in the past have emerged from their medical diagnoses disheartened and depressed about the future.
These elite performers often walk away with the impression that it will be nearly impossible for them to recover fully or for them to return to what they consider to be a reasonable quality of life.
Aspiring to live “normally” is now a tall order, and there is often little hope of these athletes returning to the level of competition that was once their drive and lifeblood.
Shortly after leaving the NFL, Paxton joined the GoPro team. Paxton’s stint with the action camera company brought him to Australia, where he made some important connections and got his creative juices flowing in other directions. In May of 2020 a beautiful story began to take shape, and it has since evolved into something special.
Paxton is the executive producer for a documentary film tackling TBI, demonstrating the success that is possible following a traumatic brain injury.
The story follows the odyssey of Australian Football League (AFL) star Koby Stevens, who was forced to retire at the age of 27 after suffering a series of concussions.
While walking an enlightened path of discovery, Stevens encounters surfer Owen Wright and snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who each suffered serious setbacks of their own in the professional sports landscape.
“This is almost like a Wizard of Oz type of journey, where it’s Koby’s path to explore and learn about others who have been affected by the same injury as him,” Paxton told OSDB. “Koby encounters people who are finding new and interesting modalities to take care of the situation, whether it be through holistic medicine, neurological treatments, mindfulness meditation, or some combination of those and other methods.”
“Along the way Koby meets Kevin and he meets Owen, two massive athletes in their respective industries. Koby’s journey continues to include former NFL player Aaron Taylor, Seal Team Six Officer Pete Scobell, Olympic gold-medalist skateboarder Leticia Bufoni, and National Soccer Hall of Famer Abby Wambach.
“The story has a very human feel to it that everyone can relate to, showing that premier athletes can be dealing with the same kinds of struggles that the rest of us might be facing. Koby’s journey provides hope along with practical tools and options that not everyone necessarily knows about.”
The working title for this docufilm that Paxton and his team have been working on is “Thrive.” An estimated 2.2 million cases of TBI emerge each year in the United States alone. The idea is to help people to understand that not only can they survive this type of potentially devastating diagnosis, but they ultimately have the ability to thrive with a measure of courage and the appropriate approach.
In addition to working on “Thrive” and enjoying family time with his wife and four children, Paxton is a serial entrepreneur. Paxton works with The Players Impact, Kindhumans, and Nocking Point Wines, while serving as a strategic advisor and business developer for several other startups and funds.
