The 2017 season was a tough one for Patriots wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell.
The second-year wide out dealt with a knee injury the entire year and could never get on the field. He missed virtually all of training camp and then was placed on injured reserve at the start of the season. He practiced with the team late in the year as one of its two players to come back off IR, but couldn't make it fully back to play in a game.
Speaking to ESPN's Mike Reiss on Sunday at An Unlikely Story, an independent book store in Plainville, Massachusetts where he was promoting his reading initiative, Mitchell admitted it was a tough year and this is a big offseason for him.
"It was a very adverse situation," Mitchell said. "That obviously wasn't something I wanted. It happens in football, just like situations happen in life that you have no control over. I read during that time. It encouraged me to keep going. And this mission, for the second year, will be even bigger than last year regardless of how football season went. It's two different missions: Become the best football player I can be, and make sure kids understand the importance of reading. One won't affect the energy I put in the other. They're both very, very important to me."
Added Mitchell: "I'm feeling great. This offseason will be big. Obviously I missed all of last season and I won't shy away from the importance of making sure I'm ready when we start OTAs."
Mitchell will be at the Boston Public Library on Monday as part of the Read With Malcolm initiative.
"Reading is a right," said Mitchell. "Every student, no matter what the circumstances or challenges, has the right to be able to open a book and discover the world of reading. I was able to find the magic inside myself and become a champion reader, and I look forward to sharing the magic of reading with the students at the Boston Public Library so they too can become the champions they are meant to be."
In his rookie season, Mitchell hauled in 32 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns.
