Back on March 2, Britton was involved in an accident in Fort Myers, Fla., sometime after midnight. He was charged with excessive speed and driving under the influence, and was immediately moved from the major to minor league clubhouse.
The next day, he received a call from Josh Beckett in Arizona.
“I’ve known Drake since he was 11, when he was playing Little League (in Spring, Texas),” Beckett said weeks later. “I want him to do well. I asked him if he were hanging out with some of the bad elements in Fort Myers, and he said he wasn’t. I gave him a little lecture, but I offered to help.
“John Lackey and I later told him if something happened and he lost his drivers license that we would arrange a car service to get him to the park and back, providing he stayed out of trouble.”
“I’m still blown away by all Josh and John have tried to do to help me,” says Britton. “They’re established major leaguers, yet they care about me. John checked in after I went to the minors. The entire organization has been great to me, all things considered. But to have people like Josh Beckett and John Lackey at my back, to help me grow from what happened, is something I’ll never forget.”
