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Select Washington Redskins players will auction customized cleats to support the charity of their choosing via the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation as part of the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” program. Bidding is now open online at http://www.redskins.com/cleats-auction and will close Friday, Dec. 8. All proceeds will benefit the charity featured on the player’s cleats.
This is the second year of the “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative, which allows players to customize their cleats to raise awareness for the charities they support. The Redskins will showcased their cleats in Dallas when they faced the Cowboys on Thursday.
Select players’ game-worn cleats from the Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 30 will be autographed and auctioned off in support of each player’s chosen non-profit organization. Players expected to participate in the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation online auction include Vernon Davis, Deshazor Everett, Ziggy Hood, Ryan Kerrigan, Morgan Moses, Josh Norman, Ty Nsekhe, Nick Sundberg and D.J. Swearinger.
Vernon Davis will support The National Center for Children and Families. The National Center for Children and Families uses a four-pronged approach to their work: community support, education and training, volunteerism and social advocacy.
Deshazor Everett will support Susan G. Komen in honor of his grandmother who battled breast cancer.
Ziggy Hood will use his cleats to raise awareness and funds for Autism Speaks. “My oldest son suffers from a form of autism,” Hood said. “I would like to provide a voice to those who don't have the financial background and platform like I do.”
Ryan Kerrigan will support his own Blitz for the Better Foundation to help children suffering from chronic illnesses, focusing specifically on autism in 2017. “One of my cousins was diagnosed with autism and I have seen firsthand the challenges it presents, not just to my cousin, but to the entire family,” Kerrigan said. “This is one of the reasons why I wanted to start my foundation – to help relieve some burdens that families go through with kids who are seriously ill or have special needs.”
Morgan Moses will focus his support on funding youth education through his own Morgan Moses Foundation. Moses and his foundation most recently worked with Tutor.com to provide more than 60 children with homework help and leaving phone messages to local students encouraging them to work hard in school.
Josh Norman will focus his support on raising a healthier generation through his Starz24 Foundation, which recently unveiled an effort to help youth in Puerto Rico effected by Hurricane Maria. “I wanted to address the overwhelming population of young people that need support in living a full, healthy life,” Norman said.
Ty Nsekhe will use his cleats to raise awareness around police-community relations via his own foundation. The Ty Nsekhe Foundation has worked with police officers across the country in the aim to improve relationships between law enforcement and the public. “This foundation allows me to take advantage of my platform and be able to give back,” Nsekhe said.
Nick Sundberg will support the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation’s Loads of Love Program, which he helped fund to bring washers and dryers to local D.C. schools for students experiencing homelessness or an unstable living situation to have laundry completed in school at no cost to them or their families. The goal is to remove a barrier for student attendance and participation in after school programs and sports by providing them a discreet solution to the challenge of having clean clothes. “It's an out of the box solution to a national problem,” Sundberg said. “Education is the ladder for kids to escape many issues, including poverty.”
D.J. Swearinger will support the National Fibromyalgia Association. Swearinger said both of his sisters have suffered from Fibromyalgia, with the youngest just recently diagnosed.
Fans can place their bids online at http://www.redskins.com/cleats-auction. The silent auction is now open, and will close on Friday, Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. For more information on participating players, visit www.redskins.com/my-cause-my-cleats.
For more information regarding the “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative or the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, visit www.redskins.com/community. All questions should be directed to Zena Lewis of Redskins Public Relations at lewisz@redskins.com.
Poll
How interested are you in bidding on cleats (or other memorabilia) to support charitable causes?
This poll is closed
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5%
Very interested — I’ll probably click on the auction page right now
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82%
It’s pretty cool, but I’m not the kind of guy who buys this stuff.
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0%
I’m not a fan of this kind of fundraising
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11%
These guys should stick to playing football. This is all just the NFL trying to polish its brand.