The NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles are the strongest team in the league right now, with a 10-1 record. What is their secret to success? Of course, they’ve worked hard and devoted themselves to their craft, but there’s also a healthy dose of Grand Theft Auto.
CJ Gardener-Johnson, a safe for the Eagles, says New York Times that he and his teammates play GTA Online during the downtime and that improves chemistry. “It’s like our secret sauce,” he said.
In addition to Gardener-Johnson, defensive backs Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox are also involved, along with full-backs Haason Reddick and Shaun Bradley. Jordan Mailata also plays offensively.
“In the end, it just builds a friendship,” says Reddick. “Then when you come on the field, we’re all excited for each other and we all want each other to do good.”
Another fascinating part of playing GTA Online with teammates, says Reddick, is that it’s not always about football.
Gardener-Johnson, who owns the 2X Global e-sports team, spent $10,000 on setting up his home game, the NYT reported. The athlete also credits video games with helping him change his attitude and mindset to less chatter than in previous seasons in the NFL.
“That’s why I’m not as loud this year,” he said. “I just like to be quiet and cool. I just want to play football, go home and play video games.”
This isn’t the first time video games have been credited with improving team chemistry for an NFL team. Earlier, NFL star JuJu Smith-Schuster said he and his teammates won three Warzone games in a row and used that momentum to help improve their on-field performance this season.
In other news, NFL player Blake Martinez sold one of the most valuable Pokemon cards at auction for nearly $700,000 and then quickly retired.
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