FOOTBALL IN HIGH HEELS: DETROIT’S TATE HONORED
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate has been named Week 12 NFLPA Community MVP for his frequent charitable outreach toward military veterans and their families.
As a Super Bowl champion, Tate understands that a fair share of fans look up to him. In his mind, however, the true heroes of this country are those military servicemen and women who have enriched our lives and protected our freedom.
That belief is the motivation behind the seventh-year Pro Bowler’s Golden Future Foundation, which hosted its second annual Stars & Strikes bowling fundraiser on Nov. 28.
Joined by several of his Lions teammates along with numerous local sponsors and attendees, Tate hosted a night of fun at Lucky Strike near Detroit. For the second straight year, all proceeds raised benefited the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) and the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of American (IAVA).
“It is an honor to be named NFLPA Community MVP for Week 12,” Tate said. “Our only goal is to share God’s love by serving others. Through the Golden Future Foundation, we have been blessed enough to touch a wide range of families who have had or are currently affected by a loved one serving (in the military).”
The previous week, Tate and his fiancée, Elise Pollard, helped make a 10-year Army veteran’s marriage proposal extra special. Thanks to the recommendation of another couple that got engaged with the help of the Golden Future Foundation, Tate and Pollard were able to set up the veteran with a custom ring and the perfect scene – near the end zone during the Lions Nov. 20 home game.
Tate also participated in the team’s Pros vs. GI Joes event on Nov. 14, when he and several Lions took part in some friendly video game competition with local military members.
“My fiancée and I really wanted to pour our heart and soul into the NFL’s November Salute to Service Month,” said Tate, whose grandfather served in the military. “There’s no better time to use the platform God has given us to spread awareness and rally the community to help one another.”
Tate has spent much of the past year using his platform for good. Last December, he hosted the “Golden Tate Shop with a Jock Holiday Event,” which provided a shopping spree for children who have had a parent die during battle or had a military parent overseas during the holiday season. He also visited soldiers in Kuwait as part of the NFL’s USO Tour in April of this year
“We are very proud of the amount of people we have been able to touch,” Tate said.
On behalf of our sponsors Delta Private Jets and American Family Insurance, the NFLPA will make an in-kind donation to Tate and his foundation for being named this week’s Community MVP. Visit our website to read more and see photos from Tate’s outreach work.
The NFLPA Community MVP program recognizes NFL players who are making a positive impact in their local communities. Each week during the regular season, the NFLPA will celebrate one active NFL player who has demonstrated a commitment to giving back to his community.
About the NFL Players Association:
The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected—including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players, and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through 2020. Learn more at www.nflpa.com.
