FOX Sports pundit Nick Wright demanded that the New England Patriots be punished by the NFL after Drake Maye shed light on the severity of his shoulder injury
10:12 ET, 12 Feb 2026
Drake Maye jogs off the field
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Drake Maye played through a shoulder injury during Super Bowl LX(Image: Getty Images)
FOX Sports pundit Nick Wright argued that the NFL has “no choice but to” punish the New England Patriots after quarterback Drake Maye revealed that he played through an injury in Super Bowl LX.
On Sunday, Maye — who couldn’t stop himself from breaking down during an emotional post-game press conference — did little to impress in the Patriots’ 29-13 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium. The star signal-caller completed 27-of-43 passes for 295 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while also losing a fumble and absorbing six sacks. It comes as Maye's wife spoke out about the defeat for the first time.
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Following the lackluster performance, Maye swiftly raised eyebrows upon sharing more details surrounding the injury he suffered to his throwing shoulder. “I shot it up, so not much feeling,” Maye told ESPN's Mike Reiss. “It was good to go, and it felt all right while I was out there playing against the Seahawks.
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"I was feeling like I was able to make throws in the game and was myself."
Maye’s comments didn’t sit well with Wright, given the fact that the Patriots removed the 23-year-old from the official injury report mere days before the Big Game.
“Do you agree with me that at this point, the NFL has no choice but to put some type of punishment on the Patriots for their Super Bowl injury report?” Wright said on 'First Things First.’
“If we are at Wednesday, and the No. 1 story is the quarterback's injury, the quarterback said, 'I had the shoulder shot up,' that he was dealing with something.”
Drake Maye walks off the field after Super Bowl LX
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Drake Maye gave up three turnovers against the Seahawks defense during Super Bowl LX(Image: Getty Images)
“In the modern NFL world, where gambling is legal, if not encouraged, it is the quarterback of a Super Bowl team. I know no way to read it other than the team — let’s call it — fudged information on the final injury report leading into the Super Bowl.”
As for what happens next, Wright suggested that the NFL take away a sixth round pick from the Patriots for not being transparent about the severity of Maye’s injury. “I think the NFL is obligated to act,” he said. “They have to do something.”
During the Patriots’ 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Conference Championship, Maye injured his right shoulder while taking a massive hit from safety Talanoa Hufanga. Though the UNC product was listed on the injury report in the week of practice leading up to the Super Bowl, he was a full participant in New England’s final three practices of the season.
"I feel like my arm was feeling great all year," said Maye, who did not possess any playing status designation for the Super Bowl. "I don't think throwing was really the instance for my arm.
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“I think it's a case of having one hit in the AFC Championship Game that was just kind of unfortunate. Unfortunate timing, unfortunate the timing of it.
"The two weeks [between the AFC title game and the Super Bowl] was great to have off to have a chance to be out there and be out there for my guys.”
According to Maye, his health setback was not the direct cause of his struggles versus the Seahawks’ formidable defense. "You can't blame anything on injuries,” he added.
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“Things happen like this all the time in the league. Was blessed this year. What a year of health and blessings for me this year. You can't zone in on one little thing on the shoulder. Was just unfortunate it happened to be the throwing one, but at the same time, I could've prevented it or made more plays."