The Pro Bowl guard, who had been sitting out since the summer, signed his tender and will practice today. Why did he come back?
“It was just time,” Mankins said today in his first public comments in a long, long time. “I had my reasons for the date that I came back, but I won’t explain it to everyone.”
Why many assumed Mankins was out in California the whole time, Mankins said he actually has been in the Foxboro area. He’s seen the players, he’s hung out with them, he’s remained close.
“(I’ve been) hanging out, playing a lot of golf, hanging out with my family a lot,” said Mankins, who recently had a new baby. “I got to spend a lot of time with them. And I’ve been training quite a bit. We’ll see today how it goes, what kind of sh`pe I’m in.”
Mankins didn’t detail his feelings on owner Robert Kraft, who he ripped when he decided to hold out. And he didn’t go back and discuss his feelings on sitting out.
“I’m just here to help the team,” he said, “help them get ready for Cleveland.”
As for his expectations of playing, Mankins said, “No expectation at this moment. Taking it day-by-day, see what happens.”
As for the business side of things, Mankins said “We’ll find out” if his sit-out was productive. On the topic of those in the higher-ups in the organization, he said, “I’ve talked to everyone here. We’re all on the same page right now. I don’t see that there should be any problems.”
How much did he miss it?
“Oh yeah, you miss it,” Mankins said. “It’s a game, it’s fun, that’s why you play. You always miss something you enjoy.”
Does he regret sitting out?
“Nah, maybe,” he said. “Not right now. Maybe down the road, I’ll look back and wish I didn’t. Or maybe I’ll be happy I did. We’ll find out.“