The Cincinnati Bengals have shown a surprising amount of loyalty to one of their own this year. After defensive tackle Devon Still was cut from the Bengals' 53-man roster, it was discovered that Still had been caring for his daughter Leah. Leah has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a rare cancer. Upon learning the news, the Bengals first hired Still as part of the practice squad, and eventually re-hired him when a spot became available. Now the Bengals are donating proceeds of Still's jersey sales to pediatric cancer research. In an even more generous gesture, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has bought 100 jerseys for the cause.
In a move uncharacteristic of the profit-driven NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals gave Devon Still a second chance to contribute to the team. Re-hiring him also allowed Still to pay for Leah's treatment, which could potentially cost as much as $1 million (via ESPN):
"I wanted to make the roster, but I have a lot of stuff going on right now that I can't give football 100 percent. [The team] could have just washed their hands completely of it. Said, 'We don't care what's going on in his personal life, we just want people who can care 100 percent on football.' That's, after all, what they pay us to do."
What happened next was even more heartwarming. New Orleans coach Sean Payton bought 100 jerseys, the proceeds of which go to cancer research. He then donated the $100 jerseys to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (via ESPN):
"'I just wanted to thank you for really stepping up to help support this cause,' Still told Payton. 'I'm pretty sure you know how many families and how many children you're helping out with this. And it's just showing the world how it's not all about how competitive you can be on the field, it's about what you can do to help out humanity.'"
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