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Raiders player donates game check to 4-year-old heart patient
You know, there are people involved in the NFL who use their vast powers and resources for good. Here's one of those stories. Fox Sports' Jay Glazer connected the Oakland Raiders with the family of 4-year-old Ava Urerra of Las Vegas. Ava has a heart condition that Glazer says is like having "half a heart." The result was magnificent.
The Raiders offered young Ava, who has undergone 14 different procedures on her heart, the opportunity to "captain" the team, and gave her signed gear and toys throughout a visit with the team. Offensive lineman Menelik Watson, so touched by Ava's condition, donated his entire game check, $18,000, to help with the expenses of Ava's family.
"Sir, I would like to make sure Ava has the greatest holiday," Watson told Ava's father, according to Glazer. "Here is my game check."
It's not a small gesture, particularly from a second-year player who's in a profession whose careers can be measured in just a handful of years. NFL players are paid in 17 installments over the course of the year, not 52, so Watson just donated almost 6 percent of his entire salary. Great gestures all the way around.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.
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