The NFL announced the newly-formed agreement in January. And in March, it announced a brand new local matching fund that would be used to establish a united front between the league and its players as they attempt to spread awareness for social equality.
The Chicago Bears on Tuesday became the first NFL team to take advantage of this newly formed program, as the players put up $250,000 of their own money. That will be matched by the team, bringing the total to $500,000, which will benefit “recipients with ties to social justice and an emphasis on education.” There also are potential donations to individuals involved with community/police relations and criminal justice reform in the pipeline.
Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks commented on the donation Tuesday.
“I feel like the best way to affect change is really working with the kids, the ones that can still be molded and conditioned into making proper choices,” Hicks said. “That’s why I felt like education would be a big aspect of what we plan on doing here.”
Hear all of what the Bears had to say about the donation in the video below:
