Eagles Prepared for NFL's "My Cause My Cleats" Program in Week 13
Jalen Hurts played a season with cornerback Chanse Sylvie at Oklahoma, and liked what his then-teammate established off the field as part of the OneMindSet Foundation.
“There was something he always had this vision of, and I always try to support when I can,” said the Eagles QB about his former teammate. “He was all about uplifting community, service in the community, and making a difference one community at a time.
“There’s a lot of communities out there who lack resources to succeed – education, food, the little things, and he’s making a difference in those areas, and I appreciate him for what he's doing, and I’m glad I can support.”
For the seventh straight year, the NFL is giving players and coaches the opportunity to support their favorite causes and raise awareness through its "My Cause My Cleats" initiative.
This year, more than 30% of players have chosen to support various forms of cancer and other physical health-related causes, while nearly 20% have selected topics related to youth and education.
Players combine forces with artists and cleat manufacturers each year to create these custom-designed cleats that showcase their causes in a way that resonates personally with the player, their fans, and the cause.
Many Eagles will support autism, a foundation near and dear to team owner Jeffrey Lurie and his Eagles Autism Foundation.
“I think it's really cool,” said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. “What we know is that we have a platform to be able to inspire change in a good way, so it's interesting to see. It's just another form of connecting for me to see everybody, what's important to them.
“I might not always know this is important to this guy or this is important to that guy, so obviously it's cool - in general, it's cool that these guys are using their platform to inspire change for something that they really care about.”
Images of the cleats and the inspirational stories behind them will be shared on social media using the hashtag #MyCauseMyCleats. Players can choose to raise funds for their causes by auctioning their cleats off at NFL Auction, where 100% of the proceeds raised will be donated to charities selected by the players.
A.J. Brown's cleats for "My Cause My Cleats" in Week 13
Philadelphia Eagles
Here are the Eagles participating, their cause, and their charity:
Shaun Bradley...Gun Violence Prevention...Everytown for Gun Safety
A.J. Brown...Gun Violence Prevention...Open Door Abuse & Prevention
Grant Calcaterra...First Responders...National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
Andre Chachere...Literacy...Reading Heart
Jordan Davis...Life-Threatening Illness/Gun Violence Prevention...Camp Sunshine/Northwest Victims Services
Jack Driscoll...Substance Abuse Awareness...demandZERO
T.J. Edwards...Neurological Disorder...Epilepsy Foundation Eastern Pennsylvania
Jake Elliott...Gun Violence Prevention...Everytown for Gun Safety
Kenny Gainwell...Cardiovascular Disease...Pediatric Stroke Program at CHOP
C.J. Gardner-Johnson...Foster Care...Adopt.org
Dallas Goedert...Food Insecurity...Wawa Foundation
Brandon Graham...Autism Awareness...Eagles Autism Foundation
Jalen Hurts...Youth Development/Autism Awareness...OneMindSet Foundation/Eagles Autism Foundation
Tyree Jackson...Autism Awareness...Eagles Autism Foundation
Lane Johnson...Environmental Conservation...Waterboys
Patrick Johnson...Women's Empowerment...Girls on the Run Philadelphia
Cam Jurgens...Autism Awareness...Eagles Autism Foundation
Rick Lovato...Autism Awareness...Eagles Autism Foundation
Jordan Mailata...Cancer Awareness...American Association for Cancer Research
Zech McPhearson...Autism Awareness...Eagles Autism Foundation
Sua Opeta...Kidney Disease...American Kidney Fund
Haason Reddick...Gun Violence Prevention...Everytown for Gun Safety
Janarius Robinson...Youth Development...Win Within Foundation
Miles Sanders...Gun Violence Prevention...Open Door Abuse Awareness & Prevention
Josiah Scott...Neurological Disease...ALS Foundation
DeVonta Smith...Autism Awareness...Eagles Autism Foundation
Jack Stoll...Autism Awareness...Eagles Autism Foundation
Ndamukong Suh...Financial Literacy...Suh Family Foundation
Quez Watkins...Mental Health...Quez Watkins Mental Health Foundation
Brandon Graham's cleats for "My Cause My Cleats" in Week 13
Philadelphia Eagles
“I think this is a really cool thing that the NFL does,” said Sirianni. “I've always thought that about this. I'm glad our guys get to put on display what kind of men they are. Not just what type of football players they are, what type of men they are.
"I really think highly of this football team and I'm obviously biased because I spend so much time with them and I love these guys, but I know we’ve got really good guys. And not just good football players but good men on this team. It's cool that they get to display that.”
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
