New England Patriots Named Top NFL Team for Designated Driver Program

From the New England Patriots

For the fifth consecutive season, the New England Patriots have been recognized by TEAM Coalition as the top team in the National Football League for designated driver pledges.

More than 27,000 fans in the stands at Gillette Stadium pledged to be designated drivers and ensure a safe ride home from the game for friends and family in 2014. The Patriots again finished the season in the top spot among all NFL teams and have finished first every year since 2010.

“We’re proud that Patriots fans recognize the importance of safe and responsible behavior, both inside the stadium and on the roads,” said Jim Nolan, New England Patriots senior vice president of operations, finance and administration. “After leading the league in this designated driver campaign for the past four years, we were thrilled to see participation continue to grow at Gillette Stadium. This year, we enjoyed a 40 percent increase over 2013. It is great to see so many fans accepting the responsibility of being a designated driver and enjoying the game responsibly.”

Starting in 2009, the New England Patriots, the New England Revolution, Gillette Stadium, the Ensign John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers and TEAM Coalition came together to educate fans about the importance of using a designated driver, buckling up and demonstrating positive fan behavior. The message is simple: “Be a HERO, Be a Designated Driver.”

“It’s really critical that we have people that take responsibility for others and having designated drivers makes it safer for all of us that come to games so that people aren’t getting behind the wheel that are impaired,” said Foxborough Police Chief Edward O’Leary. “Certainly, the Patriots have an established role in setting a standard across the NFL. Going to the NFL meetings that I go to for security, the Patriots are always a leader, not just in terms of designated driving, but also in training of their staff on responsible beverage service.”

The designated driver program at Gillette Stadium expanded in 2011 to include Patriot Place restaurants and Arbella Insurance Foundation joined the other organizations in 2013 as a proud partner of the program.

“Programs like the HERO Campaign are so important because they give people an opportunity to take responsibility for themselves and educate others on the importance of drinking and serving alcohol responsibly,” said Patriot Place General Manager Brian Earley. “We are a proud partner of the HERO Campaign and Gillette Stadium’s designated driver program, as all 14 restaurants at Patriot Place that serve liquor participate in this program. It is something we take very seriously in the community.”

“Arbella’s Foundation has long been committed to promoting safe driving,” said John Donohue, chairman, president and CEO of the Arbella Insurance Group, and chairman and president of the Arbella Insurance Foundation. “That’s why we’re proud to partner with the Patriots in their efforts to keep fans safe behind the wheel. We want everyone to be able to enjoy a game at Gillette Stadium and get home safely.”

The United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been a long-time supporter of TEAM Coalition, the HERO Campaign and both non-profits’ efforts to support the Patriots designated driver program at Gillette Stadium. The timing of the Patriots final regular season home game is aligned with NHTSA’s national enforcement efforts to discourage drunk driving under the campaign, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” More than 10,000 participating police departments and law enforcement agencies will be out in force this holiday season to protect the public and get drunk drivers off the roads as part of the campaign.

“Last year, 10,076 people died in crashes involving drunk drivers and knowing that these deaths are 100 percent preventable, that’s exactly 10,076 too many,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Safety is a shared responsibility and the New England Patriots fans committed to serving as designated drivers this season are our Most Valuable Players today because they are saving lives.”

“The HERO Campaign is proud to be associated with the New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium, Patriot Place and our partners in promoting the use of designated drivers in memory of our son John,” said Bill Elliott, chairman of the HERO Campaign. “A designated driver is truly a hero by keeping others safe on the way home after the game. Our goal is to register a million designated drivers nationwide and make the use of designated drivers as automatic as wearing a seatbelt. Congratulations to the Patriots for registering more than 111,000 designated drivers throughout New England since our partnership began.”

Patriots fans who pledged and demonstrated responsible behavior at any Patriots home game throughout the 2014 season received a complimentary soft drink, a “Be a Hero” game day giveaway and a chance to be selected as the Designated Driver for the Game. At each home game, the Designated Driver for the Game was recognized with a pregame visit on the field. In addition, the Patriots rewarded a second designated driver each game with a $100 gift card to a Patriot Place restaurant that supports the HERO Campaign.

“Through this program, the Patriots are an example for our Commonwealth, for the Foxborough community and for all of New England,” said Foxborough Town Manager Bill Keegan. “We all want people to enjoy these events, enjoy these games and everything that happens here, but at the same token we want to make sure they get home safe and the Patriots set a great example of how to do that. This is something they really work hard at and our hats off to them.”

At the Dec. 28 season finale against the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots recognized Ray Martel of Pawtucket, R.I., as the Patriots’ Designated Driver of the Year. Martel was joined for a pregame ceremony on the field by Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, Nolan, Richard Farley of NFL Security, Keegan, O’Leary, Captain Paul D’Amore and Lieutenant Timothy Curtin of the Massachusetts State Police, Chief Investigator Ted Mahony from the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, Denise Hladun from the HERO Campaign, Earley and Jessica Thurston from TEAM Coalition.

If the Patriots advance to Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 1, 2015, then Martel will attend the game as the grand prize winner of the sweepstakes component of the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” campaign, a league-wide effort supporting designated driver programs with all 32 NFL teams.

“Fans who pledge to be designated drivers are critical to the success of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign,” said Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition. “Teamwork is exactly what this campaign is all about. Through this program, we are demonstrating that when everyone – including the fans – takes responsibility, everyone wins.”

The designated driver program is just one component of the fan behavior initiatives offered by the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Other components include:

· A Fan Code of Conduct posted in and around Gillette Stadium

· Text messaging (text “CONDUCT” + message to 78247) that empowers fans to anonymously report disruptive behavior to security

· Certification of more than 600 employees across every department operating in Gillette Stadium in effective alcohol management training

· Alcohol service policies, including ID checks for all fans, no more than two alcoholic beverages per person per transaction and alcohol cut-off at 15 minutes into the third quarter