NFL, Players Helping To Raise Money For 9/11 Memorials
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The heroism of average Americans was obvious when Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville.
Now football heroes and their team owners are stepping up to help fund the 9/11 memorials to be erected in Shanksville, New York City and the Pentagon.
"It's great to see everybody coming together to support remembering an event that probably none of us will ever forget," Steelers president Art Rooney told KDKA Money Editor Jon Delano.
The National Football League and the NFL Players Association are donating $1 million to the three memorials, along with the proceeds from the sale of all auction items on the NFL website that come from games played on Sunday, Sept. 11, including the Steelers versus the Baltimore Ravens.
"Steeler fans tend to support the auctions particularly for charities all the time, and they do a great job," adds Rooney.
Rooney says the Steelers and their fans have a special connection to Flight 93.
"Our organization and a lot of people locally have supported the families of Flight 93 in many ways, and we've had an annual occasion where a lot of the families have come in to raise money for the memorial."
At the Steelers annual luncheon with current players, retired Steelers great J.T. Thomas said players know who the real heroes are.
"Life is not just about you, and I think those guys get that. For them who have been blessed by game and by a community and a country, I think it's very fitting that they do give back."
Now the final dollar amount donated by the NFL to the 9/11 memorials really does depend on how big people respond to that NFL auction on line on Sunday, Sept.11.
To participate, visit: NFLAuction.NFL.com.
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