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A Closer Look at the Cincinnati Bengals' 'My Cause, My Cleats' Initiative

Twenty two members of the Bengals will wear custom cleats and shoes on Sunday.

Nicole Zembrodt

A Closer Look at the Cincinnati Bengals' 'My Cause, My Cleats' Initiative
A Closer Look at the Cincinnati Bengals' 'My Cause, My Cleats' Initiative /
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The annual My Cause, My Cleats initiative occurs during this week’s slate of NFL games.

My Cause, My Cleats started in 2016. The campaign creates a platform for players and coaches to raise awareness for non-profit organizations and causes near and dear to them during their games.

Players around the league are allowed to break uniform policy to showcase personalized cleats to highlight those causes in Week 13. Players on teams who do not have Week 13 games will have the opportunity to participate in Week 14.

“Our players are passionate supporters of many charitable causes and serve as changemakers in their communities," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "We are excited to build upon last year's success and work with our players to expand this unique platform that enables them to raise awareness for causes they support.”

All players and coaches have the option to donate their cleats to NFL Auction with 100% of the proceeds going to the player’s respected cause. Fans have the opportunity to get their favorite player’s cleats for a great cause by participating. 

This year’s supported causes include cancer research & support, social justice, disease awareness & prevention, youth, mental health, and more.

Here are the 22 members of the Bengals participating in the campaign:

Joe Burrow - The Joe Burrow Foundation

The mission of The Joe Burrow Foundation is to provide resources and support to the underprivileged and underserved in Ohio and Louisiana.

Burrow and his parents started the foundation in October to do their part to help those in need as “everyone has the responsibility to do good."

DJ Reader - A Son Never Forgets Foundation 

A Son Never Forgets is built around the never-ending relationship that a son has with his father, and his mother. ASNF focuses on positive messages around health, wellness and the importance of education.

Reader founded A Son Never Forgets in 2021 after losing his father to kidney disease in 2014. His father taught him the importance of giving back and working hard to achieve goals. Reader carries on his father’s legacy through his foundation’s various initiatives.

Trey Hendrickson - Hendrickson Hope Foundation

The Hendrickson Hope Foundation’s mission is to change the lives of youth by providing foster children resources, advocating for families to adopt these children, and serving with local, national, and international missions to reach underserved youth populations with a focus on health, food insecurity, and resources.

Hendrickson and his family believe every child deserves an equal opportunity to thrive as their foundation does their part aiding the cause.

Logan Wilson - Brooks Joshua Anderson Foundation

The Brooks Joshua Anderson Foundation was established after the unexpected passing of Brooks Joshua Anderson to Sudden Infant Death Syndrom (SIDS). All money raised by the foundation will be distributed between a yearly contribution to a 501(c)(3)-SIDS research program in Brooks' name, while committing the rest of the money to The Books From Brooks Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Wilson knows the family who founded this foundation well. He wants to support the work they are doing in Brooks’ memory.

Ted Karras - Village of Merici

The Village of Merici provides residential and community opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. By creating a sense of community, they create a sense of belonging.

Karras aims to bring attention to adults with developmental disabilities. The Village of Merici provides services, coaching, and independent housing to adults with disabilities. The offensive lineman created 'The Cincy Hat' with proceeds from its sales to go directly to the Village of Merici.

Chidobe Awuzie - Umu Igbo Unite (UIU) Cares

UIUCares partners with organizations in Igboland, to provide food, clothing, healthcare, education, and vocational preparation for the underprivileged.

Although Awuzie won’t be playing due to his season-ending ACL injury, he is able to still participate in the program. He is proud of his Nigerian roots. UIUCares has built a learning center in Enugu, Nigeria and plans to build one in each city of Igboland. They provide scholarships, job opportunities, and charitable outreach for their community.

Hayden Hurst - Cincinnati Children's Hospital's Mental Health Services

Cincinnati Children's Hospital's mission is to improve child health and transform delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation.

Hurst is passionate about mental health awareness. He’s opened up about his struggle with mental health in the past and wants people to know they are not alone.

Mental health is a key pillar of The Hayden Hurst Family Foundation. 

Tee Higgins - axeALS

axeALS raises awareness and funding for ALS treatments and clinical trials; to help ALS patients and their families live as full and normal lives as possible; and to encourage research for the prevention, alleviation, care, treatment, and (one day) cure of ALS.

Higgins wants to highlight the group to raise awareness and find treatment for ALS.

Joe Mixon - HEADstrong Foundation

HEADstrong Foundation works to offer financial, residential, and emotional support to families affected by cancer.

The foundation helped a family close to Mixon and the running back wants to ensure they continue to help other families in need as they focus their efforts on being there for their loved ones battling cancer.

Sam Hubbard - The Sam Hubbard Foundation 

The Sam Hubbard Foundation exists to bring equitable access to food, education, and a healthy lifestyle for all Cincinnatians.

Hubbard wants to provide equal access to those resources through his foundation for those in his hometown of Cincinnati.

Vonn Bell - The Pick Six Foundation

The Pick Six Foundation is dedicated to improving the health, education, and quality of life for families of athletes in underserved areas.

Bell founded The Pick Six Foundation to do his part to help families of athletes in underprivileged communities. They are growing in different cities by offering sports camps, food drives, and other support activities in areas that need it most.

Michael Thomas - Aldine Sports Association

The Aldine Sports Association mission uplifts, motivates and inspires the youth of the Aldine community, while teaching the fundamental skills of sports.

Thomas founded the Aldine Sports Association to provide unique opportunities for youth and their education for the community he grew up in. The association runs camps, fundraisers, and awards scholarships.

Cam Taylor-Britt - Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati

The Boys and Girls Club enables all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

Taylor-Britt credits the Boys and Girls Club for playing a significant role in his life. He partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati last year for a holiday charity event.

Akeem Davis-Gaither - Assistance League (Operation Check Hunger)

Assistance League of Charlotte, through Operation Check Hunger (OCH), feeds at-risk school children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community. The purpose of the program is to relieve hunger among students as they strive to improve academically.

A North Carolina native, Davis-Gathier strives to bring awareness on food insecurity in a community close to his heart.

Brandon Allen - Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.

Allen’s grandmother has Alzheimer’s and wants to find a cure to end the suffering the disease endures.

Samaje Perine - Rosemary's Babies

The mission of Rosemary's Babies is to help teen parents master the concepts of self-leadership to leave a legacy.

Perine’s mother was a teen mom. It’s important to Perine and his wife to bring awareness to programs like Rosemary’s Babies to change the outlook for young mothers and parents with the hardships they face.

La'el Collins - HEADstrong Foundation

HEADstrong Foundation works to offer financial, residential, and emotional support to families affected by cancer.

Collins has seen the hardships families of those battling cancer go through while supporting their loved ones. He wants those families to have the hope that HEADstrong provides.

Zach Carter - The Skills Center

The Skills Center is a sports-based youth development organization. They promote sports intentionally infused with life skills and academics. They pursue a purposeful development of young minds from ages 3 to 18.

Carter is a native of Tampa, FL and grew up going and receiving The Skills Center’s resources. He chose to represent the center, because they helped mold him into who he is today.

Markus Bailey - Global Food Justice Alliance

The Global Food Justice Alliance advocates for the right of all people to choose nutrient-dense foods such as meat, milk, and eggs, which are critical for nutritious, environmentally sustainable, and equitable food systems that can sustain both human life and the planet.

Bailey is an advocate for equal access to high quality foods, especially in insecure populations. He wishes to raise awareness for food systems that can sustain both human life and the planet.

Clay Johnston - Uplifting Athletes

Uplifting Athletes harnesses the power of sport to build a community that invests in the lives of people impacted by rare diseases.

Johnston supports Uplifting Athlete’s mission to use sport as a way to build a community to back those affected by rare diseases.

Kwamie Lassiter II - The Kwamie Lassiter Foundation

The Kwamie Lassiter Foundation is committed to providing opportunities that promote comprehensive awareness of Sickle Cell Anemia Disease while also continuing to target the way children are motivated to inspire leadership through education.

Lassiter wants to educate others about sickle cell disease and the impact it has on many people, including a number of NFL players. 

Lassiter's father, Kwamie Lassiter, and mother began the foundation in May 1999 as the Lassiter T.A.C.K.L.E Foundation. In 2014, it was established as a nonprofit organization and the name changed to The Kwamie Lassiter Foundation.

Lassiter passed away in 2019. Lassiter II, his mother, and siblings continue to keep Kwamie’s legacy alive and continue his vision through the foundation.

Frank Pollack - Coach Knapp Memorial Fund

Former NFL coach, Greg Knapp, was killed from injuries suffered when he was struck by a car while biking in July 2021.

The Coach Knapp Memorial Fund has been established to enable donations to causes that were important to Coach Knapp. These include mentoring and encouraging young coaches.

In addition, funds are used to promote distracted driving awareness/reform and other charitable interests of the Coach Knapp Memorial Fund.

Knapp was a long-time colleague of Pollack’s. The Bengals’ offensive line coach wants to stop distracting driving and prevent distracted driving accidents from happening to others.

For more on Cincinnati's 'My Cause, My Cleats', go here. 

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Published
Nicole Zembrodt
NICOLE ZEMBRODT

Nicole Zembrodt is a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated's AllBengals. She earned a marketing and sport administration degree from the University of Cincinnati and has spent her professional career in the Queen City. Zembrodt was previously a member of the Bengals’ front office both as an intern and full-time employee from 2014-2020. She enjoys being active, spending time with family and friends, a college football/basketball Saturday - go red and blue CATS! (UC and UK), and a day on the water with Kenny Chesney on the aux. 

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