Eagles WR DeVonta Smith Ready for Celebrity Softball Event, Full Roster Revealed
PHILADELPHIA – Team Smith was on the ropes.
The host of the inaugural DeVonta Smith and Friends Celebrity softball game, Philadelphia Eagles standout receiver, DeVonta Smith, trailed Team Parsons, as in Dallas Cowboys star edge rusher, Micah Parsons.
Trailing 11-6 in the final inning of last June's game, Team Smith rallied for a dramatic 13-12 win when Jalen Hurts capped the comeback with a two-run home run off Terrell Edmunds.
“I definitely want to have a softball game every year," Smith said afterward. "The location depends on the timing, but I’d love to have one every year.”
It will happen again when he hosts his second annual event on Saturday at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. Gates will open at noon with a Home Run Derby scheduled for 2 p.m. and the softball game scheduled for 3 p.m.
Tickets range from $15 to $67 and can be purchased by visiting devontasmithsoftball.com.
Money raised from the event will go to St. Luke’s and the Allentown IronPigs Charities.
Smith grew up in the small town of Amite, La., which had a population of 4,141 people according to the 2010 census, allowing him a close-up view of people who gave back to their community to help make a difference.
His platform is larger now.
“I just always wanted to give back to the community and help any way I could,” he said last month. “Coming from a small town, things like that were going on in my community with people giving back and things like that, whether it was a local church or local organization or something like that, somebody was giving back to the community.
"That was a big part of my childhood, so me being able to do that. I just want it to be a blessing to others.”
Smith has put together two strong rosters.
Roster for both teams in the second annual DeVonta Smith and Friends Celebrity Softball game on June 10.
DeVonta Smith
He is the captain of Team Smith.
Parsons is not back, but Smith recruited another former Penn State star in receiver Jahan Dotson, who will enter his second season with the Washington Commanders.
Team Dotson includes such luminaries as former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco, Miami Dolphins receiver Jalen Waddle, New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, and Commanders defensive end Chase Young, among others.
Hurts will return once again for Team Smith along with former receiver Terrell Owens, kicker Jake Elliott, defensive end Brandon Graham, cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry, and tight end Dallas Goedert.
Goedert played a hand in last year’s winning rally, knocking in Avonte Maddox, who had hit a two-run double. Maddox will return for Team Smith as a coach.
An RBI single from Smith made it 12-11 before Hurts’ home run won it.
Parsons started the inning on the mound, but after back-to-back walks, Edmunds relieved the Cowboys defender and is back again this year
Last year he was on Team Parsons because he was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. This year, Edmunds will be on Team Smith after the safety signed with the Eagles in free agency.
“This year I’m going to be on the winning team," he said. "Last year, they beat us. I was the pitcher for most of the game. Then Micah Parsons came in, and he started pitching, and they came back.
"Then they threw me in, and Jalen hit the home run. So, this year, I’m going to be on the winning team."
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.
Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.
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