It hasn’t been the best week for the National Football League. Rightfully so, as the league is catching flack for its handling of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice’s domestic-abuse situation.
While Rice shows the worst that the NFL and its players can be at times, one only has to look at Baltimore’s division rival to see how a football team can do good.
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Devon Still out of Pennsylvania State University in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft with the 53rd overall pick. As a second-round pick, Still has struggled to earn playing time, appearing in only 18 games since being drafted.
Still battled for a roster spot with the Bengals this preseason when the team cut him. This doesn't sound like a surprise, since hundreds of players see their careers end as teams make the necessary cuts each season.
One difference, though, is that Still wasn’t just focused on making a football team. He was focused on the health of his 4-year-old daughter Leah, who is battling cancer with a 50-percent chance of survival.
Cincinnati cut Still from the active roster, but as soon as possible, the team brought him back to its practice squad. Being a member of the practice squad means Still will earn $6,300 per week and will still be covered by the team's insurance policy.
The Bengals, once known for being the last refuge for players with disciplinary and legal problems, could have washed their hands of the under-performing second-round draft pick. Most second-round draft picks are expected to contribute right away to their teams.
Still admitted that he wasn’t able to focus solely on football while his daughter fights for her life and knows it would be understandable if the team parts ways with him. He missed several mini-camps and practices and suffered several injuries that limited his ability to show his skills in the preseason.
The former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year was thinking about taking a year off from football to be with his daughter but decided to keep playing because the team’s insurance would pay for all his daughter's medical bills, which he told ESPN are estimated to reach $1 million.
Cincinnati took another rare step in support of Still, allowing his jersey to be sold on the team’s website. Normally, practice-squad player jerseys aren’t sold. All the proceeds of the $100 jerseys will go to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Pediatric Cancer Care and Research.
The Bengals not only decided to stand by a player they drafted in his time of need but also wanted to give back to the community of Cincinnati as well. In less than 24 hours after Still’s jersey went on sale, it became the best-selling jersey in Bengals history. This week, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton bought 100 of the jerseys.
As if this feel-good story couldn’t get any better, the Bengals put Still on the main roster Sept. 9, and the team told him that he will be given any personal time he needs to help with his daughter’s care.
Still is likely to get rousing applause if he enters the game this Sunday at home against the visiting Atlanta Falcons. The Bengals will face the Falcons at noon and can be seen locally on CBS.
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