TreVeyon Henderson found himself the subject of criticism earlier this offseason. The New England Patriots’ second-year running had seemingly expressed support for NBA player Jaden Ivey on social media after he was released by the Chicago Bulls following some apparent anti-LGBTQ+ remarks.
The public outcry over Henderson’s post — he had quoted a verse from the Bible saying that “[b]lessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” — led to head coach Mike Vrabel stepping in and talk to both
him and the team. For the 23-year-old, that conversation was a positive experience.
“We’ve had a great conversation,” he told reporters earlier this week. “He was very respectful about my beliefs. He expressed that aloud to this team, and so I really appreciate Coach for that.”
Henderson refrained from addressing the issue directly, or from apologizing for the irritation his post caused. What he did do instead was explain how he sees himself and his beliefs in light of the controversy.
“I have love for every one, but my love may not look like the world’s love. I try to love people through a biblical lens, which is grace and truth,” he said.
“A lot of people may be offended by it, but I think the biggest thing is just, we look at life [through] two different lenses; I look at it one way, somebody looks at it another. I’m not going stop sharing my faith. I’m going to continue to share my faith and reach people, and just let the Lord use me to reach people with love and truth.”
For Henderson, Vrabel and the Patriots, the book is closed on the matter. Hence, they can focus on his on-field development coming off a promising rookie campaign.
Selected 38th overall by the Patriots out of Ohio State, Henderson saw action in all 21 of New England’s regular season and playoff games in 2025. Starting five of those contests, he finished second on the team with 1,241 scrimmage yards and also tied fellow running back Rhamondre Stevenson with a team-leading 10 touchdowns.
Despite his success, however, Henderson still sees some areas that need to be improved upon for a successful Year 2 jump to take place.
“The biggest thing I want to continue to develop, blocking and just during this time running routes out of the backfield, catching the ball out of the backfield,” he said. “This is a time when we can really just continue to enhance those skills. Specifically those two skills, I definitely want to continue to develop.”
What will help Henderson do so is his active involvement in the Patriots’ offseason thus far. He has been a regular during the voluntary portion of their workout program, and will try to further build the foundation in next week’s mandatory minicamp.
