Nearly 50 Jaguars participating in ‘My cleats, my cause’ in Sunday’s game at Rams

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – From disease prevention and treatment to family and child services to pet services to education and beyond, nearly 50 Jaguars players and coaches will wear their cause on their shoes Sunday when the Jaguars face the Rams in Los Angeles.

The program, first launched in the NFL in 2018, provides a platform for players to show the causes they support on their shoes during an NFL game. Many of the shoes will be auctioned off to raise money for the players’ causes.

Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s shoes support Long Branch Elementary, schools whose students and teachers came to greet Lawrence at TIAA Bank Field after he was drafted.

“Those kids were the first to welcome me to Jacksonville after I was drafted and gave me a taste of the spirit of this great city,” Lawrence said. “No matter what challenges or obstacles that their students and families face, the school’s dedication to its students and the way they encourage them to be their best is why I’m supporting them this year and for years to come.”

For center Brandon Linder, the cause is very personal. His friend Steve Tellefson fought cancer and is now in remission. Linder’s cleats are supporting testicular cancer awareness.

“That’s my guy. I mean, I’ve been playing for him since he got diagnosed,” Linder said. “And we’ve been growing up together playing football since we’re peewee. So, yeah, that’s my guy. I mean, there’s a bunch of different cleats here with a bunch of different great organizations. So I think it’s great as an individual being able to support something.”

Some shoes have depictions of the players’ dogs on them for pet-related causes. Others have a goal to achieve, like the shoes to be worn by Myles Jack to support Jacksonville’s Habitat for Humanity. The shoes show “2300 served” indicating the number of families that have already been given homes by the charity.

“Getting a chance to meet a family and seeing how their home looked, you can see the smile on their face,” Jack said. “It changes the whole trajectory of a young child if they have a stable home to come up in. It’s an extremely beneficial organization.”

Wednesday was considered Unboxing Day, the first-time most of the players had seen their shoes in person after they were designed and made.