Social Responsibility and Community Relations
2016
Regular
Week 13
English
NFL PLAYERS' CAUSES
TAKE THE FIELD WITH
MY CAUSE, MY CLEATS CAMPAIGN
Players across league to wear custom cleats reflecting
their commitment to charitable causes during Week 13 games
Causes promoted in collaboration with The Players’ Tribune
NFL
players will have the chance to share the causes that are important to them
during all Week 13 games, as part of the NFL’s My Cause, My Cleats campaign. The initiative is a culmination of 18
months of collaborative work between the NFL and players across the league, and
it includes an online storytelling platform, in partnership with The Players’ Tribune. Throughout the season,
participating players have worked with The
Players’ Tribune to tell the stories behind their cleats via long-form features and profile cards.
More
than 500 players are planning to showcase their causes on-field during games,
and many have worked directly with Nike, Under Armour and adidas to design
their cleats, which will arrive in locker rooms this week, and will be worn
on-field for all Week 13 games. Some teams, including the New York Giants and
Houston Texans, worked with an independent customizer to design cleats for
players on the team who opted to participate in the campaign.
Every
cleat tells a story. Panthers tight end GREG
OLSEN’S cleat will tell the story of his
son,
T.J., who survived a heart defect in his infancy, and will raise awareness for congenital
heart defects and the HEARTest Yard initiative. Chiefs safety ERIC BERRY, 2016 Comeback Player of the
Year, will use his cleat to tell the story of his battle with cancer and help
raise awareness for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Cowboys tight end JASON WITTEN will use his cleats to
raise awareness about healthy relationships and mentoring, as part of his SCORE
Foundation. Cardinals running back DAVID
JOHNSON’S cleats will tell the story of his being
bullied as a child
and his work with STOMP Out Bullying to help other kids going through the same
experience. Many players have opted to join forces in support of causes they
care about, including five players who will wear cleats that tell the stories
of communities in East Africa that receive desperately-needed clean water
through the Waterboys initiative, spearheaded by New
England Patriots defensive end CHRIS
LONG. Ten players across the league,
including Cardinals safety TYRANN
MATHIEU and Buccaneers wide receiver MIKE
EVANS will wear gold cleats that tell the story of treating
all people with respect and dignity and sidelining racism through the Ross
Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) nonprofit organization. These are just
a few examples of the causes important to players and the ways they’ll express
their commitment. Beginning this week, players will start sharing images of
their cleats and the stories behind them on social media, using the hashtag #mycausemycleats.
“One
of the great NFL traditions is how our players passionately support important
causes in their communities and around the globe every year,” said NFL
Commissioner ROGER GOODELL. “They
are incredibly creative by nature so we are not surprised how they are seizing
the opportunity this week with inspiring expressions of their charitable
commitments on their cleats, online and through social media.”
In
addition, players will have the opportunity to raise funds for the cause of
their choosing by auctioning their cleats off at NFL Auction; 100% of funds raised
will be donated to charities selected by players—all designated charities must
have 501c3 status. Players including
Panthers linebacker THOMAS DAVIS are
planning to use NFL Auction to raise funds for their causes. Davis will raise
funds for the Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Foundation.
A
special My Cause, My Cleats themed
television spot started airing during yesterday’s games and will continue
airing this week. The spot, which features Jets wide receiver BRANDON MARSHALL designing his cleats
with kids from his Project 375 foundation, which focuses on promoting awareness
of mental health, can be viewed here.
To
learn more about the My Cause, My Cleats
campaign, visit www.nfl.com/mycausemycleats.
Contact:
Clare Graff, clare.graff@nfl.com