Head coach Bill Belichick revealed the reason former New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount and wide receiver Aaron Dobson have been at organized team activities and minicamp practices this spring.

Belichick said Monday that Blount and Dobson are part of the The NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.

“Well, they're here as part of the Bill Walsh Fellowship,” Belichick said. “I’m glad to have them, it's great to have them here. They're here to learn, observe, and they're doing that. So, I'm happy to help them with their coaching careers. I'm sure there'll be others around, too. Pat [Chung] was here last week, so yeah, it's great to have those guys around.”

Teams bring in minority coaching candidates who are either former NFL players or have coaching experience in high school, college or other pro levels to “observe, participate and gain experience” during OTAs, minicamp or training camp.

From the league’s site:

“Designed as a vocational tool to increase the number of full-time NFL minority coaches, all 32 NFL clubs participate each year. Specific aspects of the program — including hiring, compensation and coaching duties — are administered on a club-by-club basis. The NFL does not mandate any elements of the fellowship to the clubs, but it recommends several best practices, including:

• Hiring participants for the duration of training camp, including all pre-season games.

• Encouraging clubs to hire at least two fellows with an offensive coaching background.

• Mentoring participants in the form of continuing and constructive feedback regarding their work while with the club.”

Blount played for the Patriots from 2013 to 2016, helping win the team two Super Bowls. He won a third Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles against New England in 2017.

Dobson played for New England from 2013 to 2015. He’s currently an offensive assistant on Marshall’s coaching staff.

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