One of the first rules of Thanksgiving is to not talk politics while passing the gravy around the family dinner table.

And the first rule of Max Brosmer’s weekly dinners with the Gophers’ offensive line is to not talk football while eating wild mushroom mac and cheese at The Freehouse.

Minnesota’s quarterback started bringing his O-line to a small on-campus restaurant when he was at New Hampshire over the previous five years. And thanks to a  name, image and likeness partnership, he has kept the routine alive at a Minneapolis restaurant this fall.

On Thursday nights, Brosmer and a group of 300-pound lineman and a few tight ends will break bread. They are grateful to have each other. It is one of the many examples of Brosmer’s leadership in his sole season at Minnesota. One small crumb of that is how Brosmer brings true freshman Drake Lindsey, as if to say, this is how it’s done.

As part of the NIL deal, Brosmer has gifted each player on the roughly 115-player team a $50 gift card to The Freehouse. That’s more than $5,700 for the guy who protects Brosmer’s blindside to the walk-ons who will never see the field.

“Max has been the biggest piece of that glue to put everybody together,” head coach P.J. Fleck said this week.

The verboten discussions on football is an effort to bond outside of the game; they talk shop enough the way it is.

“We are talking football all day long and for those two hours … that we are there, football is completely off the table,” Brosmer said. “I think that is a good thing to kind of get away from football and talk to each other as human beings.”

So, what do they talk about? “Just guy stuff,” guard Quinn Carroll said.

Sometimes it’s ranking the best TV shows and movies. Guard Tyler Cooper often shares a movie recommendation. Other times it’s how their families are doing or how the week is going.

Given the regular Thursday meetings, Carroll didn’t know if Thanksgiving would pre-emptively end the get-togethers before the season ends Friday against Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. The team will head to Madison, Wis., on Thursday afternoon.

Alas, Brosmer put that fear to rest, sharing that The Freehouse partnership would continue through the Gophers’ to-be-determined bowl game in late December.

Brosmer has bonded with more than his offensive linemen and tight ends. Before the NIL deal, he dined with The Freehouse and connected with general manager Jolene Rood. That was the genesis for the partnership. Then Brosmer’s agent and leaders at the Blue Plate Restaurant Company ironed out the details.

Rood and the Freeshouse’s executive chef will put together a small menu for the players.

So, alas, no all-you-can eat buffet for the gaggle of hungry 300-pound linemen.“Yeah, they portion us,” Carroll, who pushes the scales at 315 pounds, said with a hint of dejection.

It’s usually a few appetizers, burgers or pasta, a drink and dessert. “Then hopefully they win the game, because we fed them good,” Rood said.

Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh has seen the connection between Brosmer and his lineman after the quarterback is sacked or knocked to the ground in a game.

Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer (16) throws with pressure from Iowa defensive lineman Aaron Graves (95) during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)

“He doesn’t get frustrated by it,” Harbaugh said. “Those guys are always there to pick him up, and he’s always the one, too, where is something goes wrong … or something does go bad, Max is really positive. He knows the right way to get on them without being demeaning.”

Quarterbacks are always in the spotlight and get the credit and the blame. But the offensive line often only receive criticism when things go awry. When Brosmer receives praise this season, he makes sure to loop in his linemen.

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