Everyone Loves Discovering Mack Hollins, Buffalo’s New Barefoot Wide Receiver

Stephen Douglas | Jul 29, 2024

Jul 24, 2024; Rochester, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mack Hollins (13) on the field during a training camp session at St. John Fisher University. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills signed veteran wide receiver Mack Hollins back in March. With Buffalo's training camp last week, it was time for the local media to get to know Hollins, who will play for his sixth franchise as a member of the Bills. The first thing everyone discovered? He doesn't like shoes.

In fact, Hollins is barefoot most of the time. And whenever someone learns about it, they have to tell someone else about it. And this being his sixth team since he's been drafted, he's had the opportunity to explain his barefoot lifestyle on pretty regular basis. The latest outlet to cover his uncovered feet is Buffalo's local ABC affiliate.

Mack Hollins doesn't wear shoes
Mack Hollins doesn't use utensils
Mack Hollins thinks small cats 'steal your soul'
Mack Hollins hasn't eaten a vegetable in 3 years

Mack Hollins is the 'MOST INTERESTING MAN' on the #Bills and BELOVED by his teammates. #BillsMafia @BuffaloPlus pic.twitter.com/jQyXwiYwzW

— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) July 29, 2024

WGRZ, the local NBC station also profiled his "barefoot mentality." Back in June the local Spectrum station made brief mentions of his distrust of cats before letting him explain the no-shoes lifestyle.

"Going with no shoes, having wild hair, eating with my hands instead of utensils, that type of stuff, that’s not bothering anybody. That’s who I am. That’s what makes me happy. Do the things that make you happy in life. Like I said, life’s too short to be worried about what other people think."

When Hollins first signed with the Atlanta Falcons before last season, he went on 92.3 The Game's Dukes & Bell and explained his ideology.

"So I've been doing it for about four, five years," said Hollins. "When I have days where I have to go on a plane it's my worst days when I have shoes on, like right now. It's hard for me to like sit still 'cause I have shoes on. But yeah, I've been barefoot for four or five years and I just think conceptually, it just makes so much sense, but culturally, I guess it doesn't. If everybody walked around with mittens on their hands people would think it's the most insane thing, but then we have shoes on our feet and people wonder why their feet don't look the way they should or they're not strong and why people have ankle and knee problems It'd be the same thing if you covered your hands your whole life and then wondered why you had wrist or elbow problems. It all starts from the bottom."

In 2022, during his season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Hollins made an in-studio, shoes-off appearance on Good Morning Football. He had spent the morning walking through New York City barefoot, a story he would later share in Atlanta.

ICYMI:
❌No Shoes
❌No Veggies at night
❌No child left behind

Check out @mackhollins pic.twitter.com/9CImNgQre6

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) October 13, 2022

According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, Hollins started taking off his shoes after he met a group of Australians that specialize in "holistic grounding exercises" after his missed the 2018 season. He had appeared in all 19 games for the Eagles his rookie season and won a Super Bowl ring.

People love asking Hollins about it and he is more than happy to talk about his bare feet. In just about every interview he says it makes his feet strong and "you don't see people walking around in mittens."

Of course, it's not just about feet. Hollins would never walk around in mittens because he exclusively eats with his hands, once telling a reporter at training camp that eating soup makes you soft. "Shouldn’t be eating soup," said Hollins. "You’ve never seen a lion eat soup. You’ve never seen a gorilla. You’ve never seen anything savage eat soup."

Hollins would know if lions ate soup because he told The Athletic that his father owned one when he was growing up. So he loves big cats, but doesn't trust little ones. "I hate cats. Cats will steal your soul," said Hollins. "Never trust a cat. The small ones? No. Never look them in the eye.”

And while you can eat vegetables with your hands, he has repeatedly said he doesn't eat them. Though he did reveal to Good Morning Football that he eats them sometimes. "I don't eat vegetables anymore because it is not right," Hollins said on GMFB. "The only time I eat vegetables is on Sunday because I want to be starving. I am vegan on game day. Like a great coach once said, 'Hungry dogs run faster.'"

Hollins had a career-high 57 catches and four touchdowns for the Raiders in 2022, but settled back into his special teams role in Atlanta last season. Hopefully, he can make a big impression with Josh Allen throwing to him this season because with Buffalo playing four primetime games in the first six weeks of the season, networks are going to be looking for stories to tell and people love hearing about bare feet.