The ritual began back when Ben and his older brother, Clay, were still in high school, as per ESPN. Being superstitious, Clay asked Ben to walk around the field before the game began. They had no time to put on shoes, so they headed out barefoot. The team won that night — which is how the tradition started. 

Ben confirmed that he walks on the field before each game to honor his brother — but he has not confirmed if Clay has passed away. However, fans on Twitter seem to think that is the case.

“Ben Jones walks onto the field in every game he plays on in bare feet and says a prayer for his brother that passed away. He wasn’t [going to] let snow change that,” tweeted @dskeenen. 

“@Johnston985 if you were talking about barefoot Ben Jones he’s doing it as a memory to his brother who passed away,” wrote @CAshNEPatriots.

Clay used to be a high school athlete just like Ben. He played for the Detroit Tigers for two years before finishing his college degree in May 2013, as per Houston Chronicle. Reportedly, he had to quit the team due to a hand injury. It’s uncertain if he ever returned to the world of professional sports.