Ron Chenoy-USA Today Sports
Following the horrible events surrounding the Boston Marathon, one NFL player has decided to put his money where his mouth is in regards to relief efforts. Many athletes took to Twitter to voice their sympathy for the city of Boston. Danny Amendola, who recently signed with the New England Patriots, took the sympathy a step further with a donation based on his 2013 season.
Amendola, who joins the Patriots after a short career with the St. Louis Rams, has pledged $100 for every catch and $200 for every drop during his 2013 season with the Patriots. This donation is the most generous one that has been announced by an athlete since the Boston Marathon explosion.
Amendola offered the following tweet:
I will DONATE $100 for EVERY pass I catch next season to whatever “Boston Marathon Relief Fund” there is. And $200 for any dropped pass.
— Danny Amendola (@DannyAmendola) April 16, 2013
In 2012, Amendola caught 63 passes for 666 yards. The Rams receiver was targeted 101 times during the season. According to ProFootballFocus, Amendola dropped only one pass during the 2012 season. If Amendola has identical statistics in 2013, he would be donating $6500 to the Boston Marathon relief efforts.
However, as the replacement to Wes Welker, Amendola should have a bigger season statistically. Welker caught 118 passes for 1354 yards in the 2012 season. Welker was targeted 174 times in the season and dropped 12 passes. Welker’s 2012 season would be worth $14,200 by Amendola’s pledge amounts.
This is an open call to all NFL athletes. Take Amendola’s lead and offer up a donation for the people of Boston. Amendola has stepped his game up and offered a donation. Players have taken to Twitter to show support, but need to be more active in donations and pledge drives. Athletes are looked up to by people around the world and should be setting an example. How can Americans be expected to send in money if the millionaires won’t even show their support?
I am a Detroit Lions fan and season ticket holder. This year, I’ll also be rooting for Danny Amendola.
Chris Katje is the featured Detroit Lions writer for Rant Sports. Follow Chris on Twitter.
