Last week, I wrote about the Cincinnati Bengals signing Devon Still to their practice roster after originally cutting him to help him pay for his daughter’s cancer treatments. This week, there have been continued developments in this story, and it has become one of the best feel-good stories in sports this year.
The Bengals announced that Still would be brought up to the 53rd man active roster, making him eligible for games. Still said he is regaining some of his focus on football after all the support he has received for his daughter. He said that the Bengals have given him so much support that he should do what he can to help the Bengals out in return.
The best part of this story is how the Bengals have started a campaign to donate a portion of Still’s jersey sales to pediatric cancer research.
The Bengals launched the jersey campaign this past Monday, Sept. 10, and they’ve already sold over 5,000 Still jerseys, raising over $400,000 for cancer research.
During the first day of sales, Still’s jersey sold more than any other Bengals’ players’ jersey in a single day. The Bengals also put an area on their team website where people who don’t want to buy a jersey can make donations toward cancer research.
Members of the NFL community are doing what they can to help this campaign. New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton offered to buy 100 Still jerseys, which will be given out to kids at Cincinnati hospitals and Boys and Girls Clubs. With all the negative stories in the NFL this week, this story has clearly been a ray of sunshine in the middle of a major storm in the NFL. You don’t have to like the Bengals or football to want to root for Devon Still and his daughter and be touched by this amazing story.
