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By Josh Davis
If you read our coverage of the NFC, you saw how those teams and players are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our people are searching for something they can hold onto. When other tragedies have struck, sports was one of those things. But today, almost every athletic event across the world has suffered some kind of stoppage. Even the NFL.
A report came out Sunday that the Draft would go on with no delays, but from a television studio yet to be named. Dates for OTAs have been suspended indefinitely, but Training Camp isn’t set to begin until late June, so, time remains for the 2020 season to start without a hitch.
Free Agency has also been affected, pushing physicals to either the local doctors, or until visits are once again allowed, which will cause some official FA signings to be delayed, or not happen at all. But the top-level signings should go on with no issues. For an up-to-date list of transactions so far since the tagging period, and Free Agency began, click here to see our PSN OffSeason Tracker.
With these transactions, come reports of money. Millions being made by signing on the dotted line. Some fans, with nothing else to grab their attention, wonder what these guys who get paid a high dollar to play a kid’s game, are doing for their communities while we are on virtual lockdown.
Here at PigSkinNut, we take these things very seriously. So if you’re wondering what effect the virus is having on your favorite AFC teams, and what they’re are doing to help their communities fight this pandemic, we have the answer:
AFC North
Cleveland Browns:
Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam pledged $1.5 million to COVID-19 relief funds throughout the state of Ohio.
Browns QB Baker Mayfield and his wife, Emily, are pledging $50K to support the Greater Cleveland Food Bank while they work towards feeding the community in the wake of the pandemic. He is also donating 3,500 meals to be provided for Meals on Wheels.
DT Larry Ogunjobi is donating $100K to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. He posted a video on twitter with a message “no impact is too big or too small.”
Baltimore Ravens:
The Ravens and The Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation have donated a combined $1 million to support four local nonprofit organizations with relief efforts during the coronavirus pandemic, the team announced Friday.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills:
Bills C Mitch Morse and his wife Caitlin sat down with the Bills organization and made a $100K donation to the FeedMore WNY foundation. The donation goes towards the COVID-19 crisis and to keep their communities fed.
Miami Dolphins:
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross donated $500K towards meal programs for Broward County Public Schools and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, relief efforts led by churches in Miami Gardens, and to bolster programs Feeding South Florida to provide access to food for underserved populations in the area.
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts:
Colts GM Jim Irsay released a statement on the media challenging the people of Indiana to raise $200K. Irsay ended up donating $1M to the Gleaners Food Bank.
Former Colts CB Pierre Desir donated 20,000 meals to the St. Louis Food Bank in aid of the COVID-19 crisis. Desir was born in Haiti but grew up in St. Louis.
Houston Texans:
Texans star DE J.J. Watt and his wife Kealia Ohai, a soccer player for the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars, are donating $350,000 to the Houston Food Bank.
Texans Senior Chair Janice McNair today announced a donation of $500,000 to the Houston Food Bank and Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston Meals on Wheels on behalf of the McNair Family.
AFC West
Denver Broncos:
The Denver Broncos organization donated $500K to the Colorado COVID-19 Relief Fund on Wednesday.
Also, the Broncos entire roster came together and committed to donate 100,000 meals to the Food Bank of the Rockies. K Brandon McManus also gave an extra 20,000 meals through his Project McManus Foundation. This helps the Food Bank get meals to 30 counties in Colorado, and the entire state of Wyoming.
Los Angeles Chargers:
President of Business Operations A.G. Spanos and the Los Angeles Chargers organization donated $250K to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to help those in need during the global crisis.
Kansas City Chiefs:
Super Bowl QB Patrick Mahomes and his foundation, “15 and the Mahomies,” donated $100K to the Kansas City Public School lunch programs and local organizations that provide meals and household goods to families in need. He also donated 15,000 meals to the Harvesters foundation.
Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill went to Twitter and committed to donating 6,000 meals to the Harvesters foundation, which gives meals to the KC community. He then challenged other teammates to follow through as well to raise awareness for the COVID-19 outbreak.
In response to the challenge, Chiefs TE Travis Kelce tweeted, “Let’s go @cheetah!! I got your 6k and will raise you another 6k meals thru @harvestersorg!”. He goes to say that they will donate all the food and supplies for the next 15 weeks to keep it business as usual for the kids.
It’s good to know that those with the means to help on a broad scale are doing so, and we believe it’s important to let the fans know what their teams and players are doing. We just think far too often, these positive stories get overlooked for the negative, and the mundane.
No one knows how long this will last, and so it is important to remember we are all affected in some way by this virus. Please listen to the guidelines given to your community by your local leaders, and CDC.gov
If you missed our NFC report, make sure to stay updated with PigSkinNut.com’s series on the COVID-19 crisis, including how it affects the NFL and the communities.
Release ID: 88950893