Harper’s work with Patriots players goes far beyond managing weight, though.
Gilmore struggled with cramps leading up to his time in New England, as well as early on in his stint with the Patriots, forcing him to miss snaps as games progressed. Harper and the Patriots strength and conditioning staff came together to evaluate his hydration and weekly workload to troubleshoot the issue. Once Harper devised a hydration and supplement protocol to ensure Gilmore was getting sufficient fluids, electrolytes, and buffering agents, cramping was no longer an issue.
Harper enjoys success stories like these, because it’s easy to see his work have an impact on game days.
Sometimes, the stakes were much higher, though.
Leading up to Super Bowl LIII, Harper caught wind that Dont’a Hightower was experiencing a serious case of food poisoning after leaving the team hotel for a meal in the middle of the week.
Belichick and Jim Whalen, the Patriots vice president of sports medicine and performance and head athletic trainer, tasked Harper with making a detailed protocol that would help get Hightower feeling better as soon as possible. The linebacker couldn’t keep food down initially and was dehydrated, so a plan was set to refuel and rehydrate.
“Hightower and I were basically tied at the hip from mid-week to kickoff, working together to get him feeling better,” Harper said.
“Every ounce of fluid, the quantity of electrolytes, the specific foods he needed to eat, and the specific quantities of food to consume in a given amount of time were all thoroughly mapped out for Hightower to help feel better quickly and to help him visualize what needed to be done nutritionally. The entire process needed to be slow and intentional to where each gradual step within his nutrition plan was double checked to make sure nothing within the plan set Hightower’s recovery back. This was a process that, unfortunately, couldn’t be rushed despite the battle against time.”
Hightower barely practiced the week leading up to the Super Bowl, but trusted Harper’s nutrition plan. Come game day, no one knew Hightower had experienced food poisoning, and the way he helped the Patriots defense dominate against the Los Angeles Rams gave no inclination.
“As the game was being played, Hightower was out there flying around the field, and nobody noticed any difference in him,” Harper said.
“I felt like I did my job getting him healthy and ready to play, and Hightower did his job on the field. They call him Mr. February for a reason.”
The linebacker finished the game with two sacks, three quarterback hits, two tackles for a loss, and a pass breakup. The Patriots hoisted a sixth Lombardi Trophy thanks to the effort.
As significant and rewarding as getting Hightower back on the field felt, Harper’s most high-pressure challenge came later that offseason, when Patriots running back Brandon Bolden learned he had cancer.
After noticing a mass near where his upper neck meets his jaw, Bolden was diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma, a type of malignant salivary gland cancer.
Bolden shared the news with Harper and the Patriots, with the caveat that he wanted to treat the disease while continuing to play football. Not only did he not want to miss any time on the field once the season started, but he wanted to battle cancer through diet and surgery, not chemotherapy.
“After Bolden told me that he wasn’t going to pursue chemotherapy and wanted to control the cancer through diet alone leading up to surgery and post-surgery, I felt like he put all of his trust in me and our doctors to not only to help him continue to play football but also with his life,” Harper said.
Harper devised an immensely strict ketogenic diet to potentially help inhibit growth in Bolden’s tumor. The rationale, as Harper explains, was based on the observation that many cancer cells rely heavily on glycolysis and carbohydrates for energy, whereas ketone bodies, produced through a ketogenic diet, are less efficiently used by malignant cancer cells.
The theory, essentially, was to “starve” the cancer cells to prevent them from multiplying through a diet very high in fat, low in carbs, and moderately low in protein.
Bolden received 70% of his calories from fat sources, and his carbs primarily came from vegetables though he received some from nuts and seeds that also provided him additional fat and protein. While his protein portions seemed so puny, especially for a professional football player, the Patriots continuously monitored Bolden’s muscle mass and body fat through testing to see the impact the ketogenic diet was having on his body composition.
The running back followed this strict diet post-diagnosis through surgery, which required removing part of his skull as well as implanting a metal plate in his head. Well after the operation, Bolden remained diligent with the diet to ensure he was cancer free.
“After we learned that he was cancer free, it was a moment of immense relief for so many reasons,” Harper said.
“Bolden could continue playing football, but more importantly, he could continue being a husband and a father within his family. I was just glad I could play a small role in helping him get better.”
Bolden went on to sign with Miami the following season and played in all 16 games with the Dolphins, before a second stint with the Patriots from 2019 through 2021 and two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders after that.
With stories like these, it’s easy to see why Harper was nominated for the ASPDA’s Excellence Award by Baltimore Ravens director of sports nutrition Sarah Snyder, who also serves as president of the Professional Football Registered Dietitian Society, or PFRDS.
Beyond his job with athletes, and formerly soldiers, Harper’s voluntary work as vice president and a founding member of the PFRDS has, for years now, pushed the profession forward and helped get team dietitians a seat at the table to advocate for NFL player nutrition and safety.
When Harper joined the field, sports nutrition was just emerging. Now, by inspiring others through his work, he continues to help it grow.
“It was an honor because I’m aware of those who’ve won this award before me,” Harper said of winning the Excellence Award.
“I think what was even better than receiving the award was the amount of young registered dietitians and students that approached me to tell me I’m the reason they decided to be a sports dietitian – whether they watched the “Do Your Job” video the Patriots put together about me, attended a class where I was a guest speaker at Purdue University, or received a phone call or email back from me offering words of wisdom and mentorship. It was so cool that so many people pulled me aside to share their story with me.”
Harper’s eight-minute acceptance speech emphasized the importance about building trust by showing up, being engaged, and being consistent with athletes. These same principles he applies to sports nutrition are also crucial other aspects of life — especially, in the making of a good team and its support staff.
Harper followed these pillars from one dream job to another to find his calling and help Patriots players prepare for every rep and snap they take.
“Across all these other disciplines, we get to join together to help all of these players become better,” Harper said.
“Just being part of that team within a team has been very fun and rewarding because you get that culture and feeling that we all rely on each other. I’m very competitive, so I really want to win at everything I do. I want to win at the biggest things I do and the smallest things I do. To be able to help these players change their bodies and see the fruits of my labor on Sunday out on the field – that’s the coolest part of my job.”
发表回复