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Written by: Curt Ashcraft (@cashcraft740)
Edited by: Matt Shock (@shockwave_music)
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The last few weeks haven’t been exemplary for the National Football League. Between Jonathan Dwyer, Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, it really makes you wonder if there are any good guys left in the game. Sometimes it takes the worst of situations for the best to come out in people, and if you ask Devon Still of the Cincinnati Bengals, those around him have truly blessed Still during such a trying time.
Almost four months ago, Still’s 4-year-old daughter, Leah, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, which is a type of pediatric cancer. If that isn’t hard enough for a young girl to handle or her parents to deal with, Still was cut by the Bengals during the pre-season. Luckily for Still and the true character of the Bengals’ front office, they re-signed Devon to Cincinnati’s practice squad so that he could continue to collect the team’s health insurance for her medical expenses and spend as much time with Leah as possible.
As a Bengals fan, that did my heart well knowing that not only do I root for a good team on Sundays, but I’m behind a first-class organization as well. Since then, the former Penn State Nittany Lion has been added back to the active roster where the team is still allowing him as many privileges as possible to spend time with Leah. If this organization wasn’t already looking like a rose in a bed of NFL thorns, the Bengals decided to help the Stills in another way.
The Bengals then decided to sell Still’s #75 jersey at a price tag of $100 with every penny of the proceeds benefiting the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the Pediatric Cancer Care & Research Center. Not only does that allow the fans a chance to give to a good cause for one of their own, but a current NFL coach wanted to help out as well.
One day last week while driving to the New Orleans Saints’ facility, Saints head coach, Sean Payton, was listening to sports radio when he heard of Still’s story and what the Bengals were doing to help Leah’s cause. Payton then contacted the Bengals, ordered 100 Devon Still small-size jerseys and made sure that they were handed out to the kids at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for them to enjoy. I never really knew what I thought of Sean Payton, but after this incredibly thoughtful thing that he did for those kids at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and supporting the Still family, you’re a good guy in my book, coach.
On September 25, 2014, Leah is scheduled to have her cancerous tumor removed with only a 50% chance of survival. With the cloud of uncertainty that has consumed Leah and the rest of the Still family, we just want them to know that ‘Our Sports Report’ is keeping the Still family in our thoughts and prayers and hope for nothing but a successful surgery and a wonderful future for Leah. We are also doing our part to support the cause as we purchased a Devon Still jersey to support Leah and the other cancer fighters that truly need it. To those of you that are battling this horrible disease, thank you for never giving up. You are the true heroes.
It has been hard to see any good come out of the NFL these last few weeks, but after the generosity that has been shown by the Cincinnati Bengals and Sean Payton, it is obvious that even in a world full of darkness, the light of goodness will always shine through. Best of luck Leah, tackle this beast just like your dad would!
