Amidst all the terrible and horrific stories coming out of the NFL in the last few days, this particular one makes a nice change of pace.
Getting into the NFL is an incredibly tough task. There are 32 teams, and they have about 50-odd players each that make the game day squads, so you need to be one of the best of the best. A further group of players make the practice squads (essentially like the reserves) and one player in particular, Devon Still of the Cincinnati Bengals, did so recently, but only just.
When the time came earlier this season to make some cuts and trim down the squad, the Bengals decided to keep him on so that he would still receive the healthcare that the team give all their employees. The reason? He has a four-year-old daughter who is battling cancer, and the team realised that was more important than football could ever be.
That gesture was greeted with approval by the fans, who have been sending messages of support to Still and his family ever since, but that's not all. The Bengals put his jersey (no. 75) on sale in the team store and on the website, and stated that 100% of the proceeds from sales of that shirt would go to cancer research.
The next bit is pretty amazing, as less than 24 hours later, a spokesperson for the team told ESPN that the jersey was now the fastest selling in the history of the Bengals franchise ever. EVER.
As of yet, no other stores have adopted a similar policy, so if you are a Bengals fan and were thinking of getting a jersey, then you should get it from the official store. You can also find out more about or make a donation to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital where Still's daughter is being treated here.
