NFL raised more than $100 million during draft for coronavirus relief
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the NFL to host its draft virtually this year — which ended up running fairly smoothly.
While teams were making their picks, the league simultaneously held a “draft-a-thon” fundraiser to help raise money for coronavirus relief in the United States.
[ Coronavirus: How the sports world is responding to the pandemic ]
On Saturday afternoon, after the draft ended, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that fundraising efforts had eclipsed $100 million.
Thank you for participating in Draft-A-Thon! With the addition of your donations, the NFL Family has now collectively raised more than $100,000,000 for COVID-19 Relief. https://t.co/t5JVKzjd4J pic.twitter.com/8sw0v4ZmWt
— NFL (@NFL) April 25, 2020
“We wanted to make a difference by honoring and supporting those impacted by this pandemic, especially those on the front lines,” Goodell said. “I’m thrilled to share with you that thanks to your generous contributions and those of the NFL family, more than $100 million has been raised for COVID-19 relief. That is fantastic. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”
There were more than 926,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States as of Saturday afternoon, according to The New York Times, and more than 50,000 have died due to the virus.
The NFL will be donating that money to the Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, United Way, Feeding America and the CDC Foundation. It is also auctioning off signed memorabilia, jerseys and more as part of the fundraiser.
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