Week 13 of the NFL marks the onset of “My Cause My Cleats,” an annual initiative that empowers players to reveal and share their passions beyond the game. This year is the 7th season of “My Cause My Cleats.” During this week, players wear custom-designed cleats to highlight their commitment to meaningful causes. 

Once the week is over, players have the option of donating their cleats to the NFL Auction. The cleats are then auctioned off to passionate fans and supporters. Funds from the auction are donated to the players’ respective causes. Says Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham:

“The platform we have as players in the National Football League allows us to reach an entire generation of people in their homes, their communities, in schools, and on the football field. I am proud to join my teammates and brothers across the league as we shine a light on these important causes. We are grateful for this opportunity provided by the NFL and hope that our presence on the field this weekend inspires the global football community to give back and support our efforts.”

Although football season has since progressed past Week 13, we at Patient Worthy feel that it is important to showcase some of the many chosen causes – especially those within the rare disease and chronic illness sphere. We appreciate all of the players who have given their time and energy to contribute to raising awareness and funds on a broader sphere.

Below, we’ll share some of the players who played a role in this increased awareness. But keep your eyes open for the end of December, where we’ll be sharing a few longer interviews with players about their chosen causes! 

My Cause My Cleats

Pediatric Illness

A large number of players chose to focus on raising funds, support, and awareness around pediatric illnesses:

• James Conner (Arizona Cardinals) – Phoenix Children’s Hospital
• Nicholas Falk (New England Patriots) – Children’s Tumor Foundation
• Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers) – Mya Lin Terry Foundation
• Rashard Lawrence (Arizona Cardinals) – Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children
• Andy Lee (Arizona Cardinals) – Madelyn’s Fund
• Daniel Carlson (Las Vegas Raiders) – Pediatric Cancer Awareness 
• Vederian Lowe (Minnesota Vikings) – Shriners Children’s Hospital

Rare Disease

As many people within the rare disease community know, raising awareness is crucial to providing adequate support and care to families; awareness can also help with funding for important research. The following players chose to highlight rare disease or rare condition causes during My Cause My Cleats:

• Saquon Barkley (New York Giants) – the 22q Family Foundation 
• Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) – Acoustic Neuroma Association
• Shelby Harris (Seattle Seahawks) – The FPIES Foundation
• Cameron Thomas (Arizona Cardinals) – ALS Association
• Caden Sterns (Denver Broncos) – Prader-Willi Syndrome Association
• Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals) – Axe ALS Foundation
• Tevin Coleman (San Francisco 49ers) – Sickle Cell Disease Association of America
• Kyle Juszczyk (San Francisco 49ers) – Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation
• Forrest Rhyne (Indianapolis Colts) – Huntington’s Disease Society of America
• Quentin Lake (Los Angeles Rams) – Sickle Cell Disease Foundation
• Byron Jones (Miami Dolphins) – Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation 
• Marvin Wilson (Philadelphia Eagles) – Spina Bifida Association
• Josiah Scott (Philadelphia Eagles) – ALS Association
• Kolton Miller (Las Vegas Raiders) – Children’s Craniofacial Association
• Nahshon Wright (Dallas Cowboys) – Support Organization for Trisomy
• Jerry Jeudy (Denver Broncos) – Trisomy 18 Foundation
• Nyheim Hines (Indianapolis Colts) – Muscular Dystrophy Association
• Chris Banjo (Arizona Cardinals) – Tackle Sickle Cell
• Hunter Long (Miami Dolphins) – Cush It To The Limit
• Cody Davis (New England Patriots) – Axe ALS Foundation

Chronic Illness

Players who worked to raise awareness in the wide spectrum of chronic illness include:

• Shaquille Leonard (Indianapolis Colts) – Lupus Foundation of America
• Travis Etienne (Jacksonville Jaguars) – Lupus Foundation of America
• Chris Claybrooks (Jacksonville Jaguars) – Lupus Foundation of America
• Quincy Roche (New York Giants) – Tourette Association of America
• Adam Troutman (New Orleans Saints) – Hydrocephalus Association
• DJ Reed (New York Jets) – National Multiple Sclerosis Society
• Ryan Griffin (Chicago Bears) – National Multiple Sclerosis Society
• Christian Barmore (New England Patriots) – National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Stroke

Players who worked to raise awareness of strokes include:

• Benny Snell Jr. (Pittsburgh Steelers) – 22 Oats Strong
• Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) – Pediatric Stroke Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Epilepsy

Players who worked to raise epilepsy awareness include:

• Roderic Teamer Jr. (Las Vegas Raiders) – Project Purple Butterfly
• TJ Edwards (Philadelphia Eagles) – Epilepsy Foundation Eastern Pennsylvania

Down Syndrome

Players who worked to raise Down syndrome awareness include:

• Ben Ellefson (Minnesota Vikings) – Gigi’s Playhouse
• Brandon Powell (Los Angeles Rams) – Down Syndrome Foundation 
• Tanzel Smart (New York Jets) – National Down Syndrome Society 

Oncology

Players who worked to raise awareness in the field of cancer/oncology include:

• Tomon Fox (New York Giants) – National Breast Cancer Foundation
• Ashton Dulin (Indianapolis Colts) – National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation
• Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta Falcons) – Lung Cancer Foundation of America
• EJ Speed (Indianapolis Colts) – Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 
• Luke Tenuta (Green Bay Packers) – Cancer Research Institute
• CJ Ham (Minnesota Vikings) – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
• Isaiah Simmons (Arizona Cardinals) – Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 
• Tim Patrick (Denver Broncos) – Sarcoma Foundation of America

Alzheimer’s Disease

Finally, let’s look at some of the players who centered their cause on Alzheimer’s disease awareness:

• Tyquan Lewis (Indianapolis Colts) – Alzheimer’s Association
• Micah McFadden (New York Giants) – Alzheimer’s Association
• Zay Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars) – Alzheimer’s Association

For a full list of causes represented during My Cause My Cleats, head here.