A Call to Arms

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Over the last few weeks many of us have read or watched stories surround Bengal rookie Devon Still and his daughter’s battle with cancer. As a parent, I can only imagine the terror and other flood of emotions he must feel. The Bengals made a classy move when they assigned Still to their inactive roster just to ensure that he was able to get a paycheck and his daughter would have access to the insurance she needs to get the proper treatment. (He was recently added to their active roster)

The Bengals have furthered their commitment to helping his family and the families of others who have children suffering with pediatric cancer by donating all proceeds made by the sale of Still’s jersey to pediatric cancer research. His jersey quickly became the fastest selling jersey in team history.  A major thumbs up to those who are so willing to contribute!

In Sunday's game, the New England Patriots played classy by showing a tribute to Still’s daughter on their Jumbotron screen during a time out and  donning their entire cheerleading squad in Still’s jersey. What a classy move. One reason I love football is that this type of behavior doesn’t feel out of the ordinary or like a publicity stunt. It feels genuine. In season’s like this, football feels more American (or at least what America should be) than baseball.

As I sit here thinking about the classy move by the Patriots and the Bengals, it makes me wonder why more teams don’t get involved. The NFL has serious power. Millions of people tune into games every week. If all of the NFL teams could unite for this cause, they (and all of their fans) could easily raise millions of dollars for a good cause.

If two warring countries can enjoy a snowy football game on a Christmas Eve in one of the biggest wars in history (The Christmas Truce, 1914), surely battling football teams could pause for a moment of silence or unite in a rally to raise funds to help cure childhood cancer. Let’s raise our voices against childhood cancer and encourage the NFL and all of their teams to show support for Still and all  parents who are facing this daunting and terrifying challenge! Send word to your favorite NFL team to get involved and lets see if we can make a difference.