▶ CHARITIES
retweeted 3,600 times as of Wednesday afternoon.
“I had so much support and a warm reception to the concept I felt really driven to do it again,” Gehlken said. “Fantasy football championships are often decided on Week 16 that overlap with the holidays. With the holiday spirit and people winning money in their fantasy league, it just seems to me a real opportunity to do a lot of good for a number of charities.”
For this season, Gehlken teamed with ESPN fantasy senior writer Matthew Berry to bring more attention to the fantasy football donations
cause. Berry and Gehlken asked fantasy owners to post screenshots of their donations.
“I’ve gotten screenshots for $500, $200 and multiple $100 donations,” Gehlken said. “It’s amazing to see so many people willing to donate a portion or the entirety of their fantasy football winnings.”
Gehlken’s idea has generated countless donations, but it also helped Gurley and fantasy owners bond in a sense.
Gurley was the top pick in many fantasy football drafts last year after a sensational rookie campaign. The Rams’ star hit a sophomore slump and felt the wrath of angry fantasy owners on social media.
This season, Gurley more than delivered as the highest-scoring player
in fantasy. Many fantasy owners who had him in their lineups during Week 16 won a league title. The MVP candidate went off for 118 rushing yards, 158 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns against the Titans.
Gurley still hasn’t forgotten about the harassment he received, which prompted him to Tweet this after his monster Christmas Eve performance: “Fantasy owners you’re welcome now leave us alone. Merry Christmas!”
Not long after his tweet, he began to receive screenshots of people’s donations to Gurley’s charity, Shriners Hospitals for Children.
“Fantasy is not so bad after all lol,” Gurley tweeted to a donation screenshot. “That’s major love. Thank you and Happy Holidays.”
Gehlken called the Shriners Hospitals for Children on Wednesday morning to get a sense of how many donations have been made with Gurley’s name.
“She was just getting back from her Christmas break when I called, and she told me she kept seeing Todd Gurley’s name appear in donations, and she’s not a football fan and had no idea who Todd Gurley was,” Gehlken said. “She told me, ‘Did this guy die or something?’ ”
Gehlken hopes his idea becomes a common tradition in fantasy football — along the lines of tipping the blackjack dealer after a big night.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Gmanzano24 on Twitter.