When Jalen Hurts takes the field on Black Friday against the Bears, he will be sporting a very special pair of cleats.
A few weeks before the game, Hurts visited the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where he met with patients, Angelo, Amir, and Sophia. Hurts gifted the three kids bags of merch, and he then sat with them to design cleats on sheets of paper.
Hurts will wear those custom cleats on Friday afternoon as part of the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative, honoring the transformative time he had at CHOP.
"There's a lot that comes with being a franchise quarterback, and one of the biggest perks is to be able to serve others, [and] to be able to show up and inspire," he said. "I think in the midst of inspiring others, those kids don't realize how much they inspire me. How much they encourage me.
"We shared a great time. We were able to scheme up some shoes that we will all debut versus the Bears. I can't wait for it. Jaws were dropping, and disbelief was all in their faces. They didn't even know what to feel when I told them that I'd be linking up with them before the game. I can't wait to see them."
This is Hurts' second consecutive season rocking cleats designed by CHOP patients. He visited the hospital last year where he met with John, Nicholas, and Vaughn, and that experience led him to return for My Cause My Cleats this year.
"I felt like it was the least that I can do," he said. "It's my duty, and honestly the feedback that I got from [last year] and the impact on it, how much of a rush it brought them to continue to persevere and push forward. They're the tough ones. They're the tough ones.
"They look at me like I'm a superhero, like I wear a cape and score touchdowns and make plays, and I rock the number 1, but they're really the superheroes because they're going through things that I couldn't imagine. You talk about perseverance, you talk about resilience, the words perseverance, resilience, grit, endurance. I can't compete with any of that through my own testimony."
Since being drafted in 2020, Hurts has been heavily involved in the Philadelphia community. He donated $200,000 for air conditioning units to 10 Philadelphia school districts, started his Jalen Hurts Foundation, hosted Make-A-Wish events, and more.
Now Hurts is continuing his community impact by supporting three CHOP patients in a unique way.
"I had the experience of a lifetime, and I think it's bigger than the cleat," Hurts said. "When you involve yourself and you endear yourself into others in that way, you're thinking that you're going in there and you're going to bring a smile, and you're able to bring smiles. ... You share a moment, maybe a memory of a lifetime, something that they can appreciate.
"I can't speak for them, but I leave so moved. I leave so uplifted. I leave so encouraged. I think honestly even having this conversation right now brings things into perspective." — Written by Matt Ryan
