Jets host and fund flag football league
On Tuesday, the New York Jets and USA Football hosted a four-team flag football tournament at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, N.J. It was part of the New York City Police Athletic League (PAL) NFL Flag Football program.
It was a huge hit, as Jets quarterbacks Josh McCown and Christian Hackenberg and nose tackle Mike Pennel worked with the youngsters and the winning team earned a trip to Florida.
“It’s awesome to be a part of this and give back to the community,” McCown said. “For the kids to come here and be a part of this and to see the officers, you just hope that for them it helps them dream big and encourage them to keep chasing their goals. There’s a lot of smiling faces out here. They’re having a lot of fun.”
The teams each represented a New York City borough and were coached by members of the New York Police Department and by McCown, Hackenberg and Pennel. Manhattan North defeated Queens South 62-14 in the final and will represent the Jets at the NFL Flag Championships during Pro Bowl week in Orlando in January. Before the games, the Jets presented a $40,000 cheque to the NYC PAL to fund the flag football program. The partnership aims to bring the community closer by providing 1,200 youth the chance to play flag football at no cost. NYPD officers volunteer to coach teams near their local precincts.
“This program is actually great because it gives everybody an opportunity to see that the police can interact with children. They get to look at police officers in a different way,” said winning coach and NYPD homicide detective Wil Acevedo.
THE KNEE-BOURHOOD: When Houston Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson went down with a season-ending ACL injury, there were hundreds of players who could painfully relate. One of those was Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who returned to practice from a 14-month absence just before Watson was hurt. Bridgewater’s knee injury was more severe, a dislocation with multiple ligament tears, but the sentiment is the same.
“He comes from a background where he had to overcome obstacles his entire life. Nothing ever comes easy, and I know that he’s going to attack his rehab full speed,” Bridgewater said.