Veteran WR inspires teammates to go barefoot at Bills training camp

A trend is spreading across the campus of St. John Fisher University as the Buffalo Bills move through their 2024 training camp, a seemingly odd fad that seems to be genuinely helping to build camaraderie.

Members of all levels of the organization have taken to going barefoot in the weight room, on walkthroughs and in life in general, all inspired by offseason acquisition Mack Hollins. The veteran wideout has a long history of going barefoot whenever possible, another trait that makes up his very unique and authentic personality. Quarterback Josh Allen revealed he started taking his shoes off in the weight room last Wednesday before offensive coordinator Joe Brady shared that he, too, had started going barefoot.

They’re just two of many who have adopted the trend, with Hollins telling reporters after Sunday’s training camp practice that the fad is slowly spreading throughout the team.

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“Guys, they’re doing it slowly,” Hollins said. “It seems crazy what I’m doing, and then we’re on day four or five of camp, and their feet are really sore, and they take their shoes off and they’re like, ‘Oh, I feel a little better.’ Why did you wait until day five? Why do you wait until your feet are sore to start working on them?”

“Now the guys are starting to get into it little by little, and I’m telling them: I got you, I got you. It’s building up, we now have about 30 guys who are barefoot on the guided tours.”

Not all of Buffalo’s players are as committed to the “down-to-earth” lifestyle as Hollins, as they don’t yet function without shoes in their daily lives. Hollins, a unique personality who also eats with his hands and despises cats, has been going barefoot as much as possible for the “last two or three years,” first noticing the benefits while recovering from a serious lower-body injury he suffered in 2018.

“About eight years ago, I tore my groin and I couldn’t get over it,” Hollins said. “I found these guys from Australia called Melbourne Muscular Therapy. I had them come to Philadelphia, I was with the Eagles at the time, I had them come, they showed up to Philadelphia with no shoes on.

“I thought, ‘What are you doing?’ I looked at them the same way. They said, ‘That’s what we do, we’re always barefoot, except in bathrooms and airports. We train barefoot.’ So I started training with them barefoot, and at the time I couldn’t walk, I was ready to retire. And they got me back in shape.”

Hollins then explained to reporters the benefits of going barefoot, saying that shoes are beneficial in certain situations, but not a constant necessity.

“Foot strength, ankle strength, knee strength, the free electrons in the body, where the grounding comes from, so you feel more grounded,” Hollins said. “You’re cleaner, you move faster, you strengthen your whole body so your knee doesn’t have to take as much pressure because your ankle is not developed.”

“Shoes are a tool, you don’t walk around with a hammer just because you have to nail something every now and then. Why do you walk around with shoes just because you might step on something every now and then?”

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The fact that the Buffaloes have embraced the barefoot lifestyle is just a testament to the impact Hollins has already had on his teammates, a topic that has been discussed frequently since the receiver signed a one-year deal with the Bills in March. His peers have continued to sing his praises in training camp, with Allen calling him “one of the greatest of all time” and Brady describing the veteran as “one of his favorite people he’s ever met.”

Hollins spoke about the first impression he made on those around him, suggesting that people may be envious of the disregard with which he treats society’s expectations.

“I’m always honored when my teammates show me that kind of respect, but I think it’s because they want to live vicariously through me,” Hollins said. “Deep down, they want to take their shoes off and walk around in cutoff shirts, let their hair do what it wants and just live their lives. They’re still in that box, they’re not there yet.”

Hollins hasn’t had much of an offensive impact in his six professional seasons, with his best statistical performance coming in a 57-reception, 690-yard campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. He’s been primarily a special teams player throughout his NFL tenure, a phase of the game many thought he’d play in again with the Bills; that said, he could be in line for a prominent offensive role, as he’s spent plenty of time with the first team over the first four days of training camp. If his impact on the field can be a fraction of the impact he’s had on Buffalo’s roster, he could have a career year.

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