For A Good Cause

PHILADELPHIA — This week marks the return of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign, where each player is afforded an opportunity to showcase the causes and foundations they support, reflected in custom designs on their cleats.

The annual celebration, now in its 10th season of existence, places a well-deserved spotlight on the positive impact from players across the league.

This week, I spoke to a handful of Eagles players to learn the “why” behind their cause of choice. The cleats worn this Sunday afternoon, when the Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys, will reflect the causes meaningful to each player.

ITB PHOTO/ANDREW DICECCO: NFL players will wear cleats in 11 benefitting charities of their choosing. This cleat belongs to Eagles WR Xavier Gipson.

“Operation Ramp it Up”

LS Cal Adomitis: “I’ve been working with ‘Operation Ramp it Up’ for close to four years now. Greg Schneider, the founder and CEO of it, is actually based in Cincinnati, originally, so something I got involved with when I was there. It’s a great cause; he basically builds accessibility ramps for disabled veterans who are recovering from some sort of surgery or injury, and they don’t have the funds or insurance necessary to build the ramp. And it was kind of two worlds align, because when I signed here, he reached out to me and said, a week or so earlier, there was a veteran in the Philadelphia area that had signed up for one of these ramps, and he really didn’t have any connects in Philly, and so he was like, ‘Hey, I know we’ve worked together in the past, would you want to do it out there?” And I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ So, we got a chance to do that – I think it was the Wednesday after the bye week – and built a nice ramp. It’s been something that’s just really meaningful work and I’m happy to be a part of it and happy to represent them. I got some cool camo cleats to show off because of it.”

“Special Olympics”

LB Zack Baun: “I chose Special Olympics because my little brother was diagnosed with autism and grew up a part of Special Olympics. So, I would always go and help them out. It’s just all about inclusion and just making sure that everyone’s included, and it gives them a space to play sports and play sports freely.”

“Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem Counties”

LB Jihaad Campbell: “It means a lot just because it’s always good to serve others. Especially, ‘Big Brothers Big Sisters’ program, just allowing me to be a big brother ambassador for that program and to be in somebody’s life and be impact them in a positive way. I think that it’s always important – especially, for the younger people that’s in this world – because it’s very cruel, it’s a lot of different things that go on in this world that a lot of people don’t know. And to tap in with a kid that’s in this environment is always so special, just to see what’s going on in their life and see if they need help, or just having that voice that’s there for positivity, for courage, for confidence in this world to be who they want to be. So, it’s always great, it’s always important to have that factor.”

“Michael Carter II Foundation”

CB Michael Carter II: “My foundation is about just building a community through different outreach things, such as building a community through spiritual wellness, physical wellness, mental wellness. All those things. It’s just about building healthy communities, building healthy families, healthy people. It’s just about overall wellness, is kind of what I’m passionate about. And just kind of giving back in different ways; I’ve done football camps back home. I got a baby shower – me and my wife are expecting – so we wanted to do something to support people in need in that realm, as well. So, we’re doing the big baby shower for women in need and things like that, and that’s coming up pretty soon. Especially with the holidays coming up, people are going through tough times and need support. And so, I just want to do that and build a community that way. So, that’s kind of why I wanted to put my foundation out there.”

“American Cancer Society & Lupus Research Alliance”

WR/RS Xavier Gipson: “I’m supporting this awareness for everyone who has lupus. All the women. My auntie’s been battling lupus for a while, I want to say since I was 11 or 12. I see her every day, she’s still fighting, she’s still trying, she’s still living like she’s young. And with the Cancer Society, my grandma passed, about … I want to say a month ago. That’s why I got ‘LLMG’ – Long Live My Grandma. But also, ‘Long Live Mary Gipson.’ But these two researches and societies, these are the ones I want to support.”

“The KB Foundation”

P Braden Mann: “I think my first event with them was in December of ’23, my first year here. So, I did, like, a shoe-painting event with them … I think that youth mentorship, I think some kids that don’t get the opportunities that other ones do, they fall behind. And it’s to no one’s fault, especially theirs, so I think that it’s getting them a good opportunity to get mentored by people who have been in the real world for a little bit. I think I have a passion for youth mentorship because it’s an opportunity to make an impact on someone you would for no other reason know. And so, it’s really cool to connect with those guys. And all Philly kids, so it’s a good, fun group.”

“The Nolan Smith Foundation”

OLB Nolan Smith: “Youth development is everything to me, just because the generation that’s going to take care of us is up and coming and growing right now. And I’m always about giving back to kids and I was once that underprivileged kid that grew up with just a mom in my life. And I just always want to give back and let them know they got someone to look up to and a real idol.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com