How former UNC QB Drake Maye turned his wedding into his latest charitable act
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Drake Maye redirected wedding gifts to North Carolina homeless support centers.
- Maye extends philanthropy, adding donated gifts to prior NFL-era initiatives.
- Maye’s previous giving includes $10,000 for storm relief and Folds of Honor aid.
Even on his wedding day, former UNC quarterback Drake Maye wanted to give back to the North Carolina community.
On June 21, Maye married longtime girlfriend Ann Michael Hudson at Grandfather Golf and Country Club in Linville. According to Scott Zolak, a Patriots radio analyst on 98.5 The Sports Hub, the newlyweds decided to pay it forward with the gifts they received on their special day.
“They didn’t tell anyone, but they took their wedding gifts and sent them to the homeless and help centers down there,” Zolak said on Tuesday’s show. “Everything that they got, they forwarded it.”
Maye, a Huntersville native who played at Charlotte’s Myers Park High School, is entering his second season with the New England Patriots after concluding a rookie season that saw him complete 66.6 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns and 2,276 yards. Following three seasons with the Tar Heels from 2021 to 2023, the Patriots drafted Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Donating wedding gifts joins a list of charitable efforts Maye has undertaken since entering the NFL, including partnering in June with Folds of Honor Boston to support scholarships for spouses and children of fallen and disabled military service members and first responders. In November 2024, Maye also sent $10,000 to The Salvation Army for Hurricane Helene relief in his home state.