After retiring from the NFL, players are left with an unimaginable amount of time and money, and most are unsure what to do with themselves. Some players use this opportunity wisely, others…not so much. The players that deserve a large amount of praise are those who not only give back to the world, but make sure to give back to the community that raised them and believed they would make their way to their NFL dream. These players are the true heroes of the NFL.
Jerome Bettis
Detroit native and former Steelers half back, Jerome “The Bus” Bettis announced his retirement in 2005 saying, “This Bus stops in Detroit”, putting an end to his prolific NFL career and a beginning to a charitable post-NFL life. Bettis regularly gives back to his Detroit hometown. In 1996 he founded the Jerome Bettis Bus Stops Here Foundation which focuses on improving the quality of life for underprivileged and disadvantaged children. The foundation has donated over 1,000 pairs of cleats to the children of the Detroit school system, the school system Bettis grew up in. The foundation also funds the annual “Bowl With the Bus, bowling tournament which is devoted to raising money for disadvantaged children. 
In 2012, Bettis’ foundation donated $21.8 million to the MacKenzie PreK to 8, which opened that fall. Bettis hopes that children do not grow up the way he did, selling crack cocaine to make ends meet. When asked about selling crack with his brother in an episode of “In Depth with Graham Bensinger” Bettis said, “The mindset was, ‘We’re in the hood. Mom and Dad, they’re working their butts off. There’s no money around. We need to make some money.’ So we said, ‘You know what? Let’s give it a shot.’ And it was one of those moments that you regret, but at the moment, that was the only thing that was really available to us.”
Bettis is also active in the Pittsburgh community. In 2014, the second annual “Bowl With the Bus” fundraiser raises money for the children of Pittsburgh. Bettis has personally donated into other funds supporting asthma as well as opening his own sports camp the Jerome Bettis Asthma and Sports Camp, which supports child athletes with asthma. Bettiswas diagnosed with asthma at the age of 14, which did not hold him back from his NFL dream. In an interview with medical adviser Stephen A. Shoop, M.D, Bettis spoke about how asthma affects his play “At first I thought it meant I couldn’t play sports anymore, but my parents said I could do anything I wanted in life — as long as I followed my doctor’s program.”
Jim Kelly
Shortly after Jim Kelly’s 1996 retirement from the Buffalo Bills, his newborn son Hunter Kelly was diagnosed with a rare and usually fatal disease globoid-cell leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease). Jim devoted his life to his son, founding the Hunter’s Hope organization and Hunter’s Day of Hope, which occurs every February 14th. During Kelly’s Hall of Fame induction speech in 2002 he attributed his perseverance and dedication to his son Hunter saying, he (Hunter) was the toughest person he had known and was “my hero, my soldier, my son”. Kelly’s son had passed away August 5, 2005.
Three years later on June 3, 2013, Kelly was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a skin cancer in his upper jaw. Shortly after, Kelly underwent surgery to treat his cancer. It was reported that the surgery was successful and he was now cancer-free. However, on March 14, 2014, a follow-up test revealed the cancer had returned, which meant Kelly had to undergo chemotherapy. Later that year on August 20 Kelly announced he was again cancer-free. Kelly encourages young people to remain steadfast and dedicated in their endeavors during his annual football camp at the Buffalo Bills training facility. He has been holding the camp since 1988.
Dan Marino
Dan Marino, one of the best passers of all time, is one of those NFL quarterbacks who have truly given back to their community in a special way. In 1992, Marino and his wife Claire started the Dan Marino Foundation following the diagnoses autism in their son Michael. This foundation continues to impact the community and is currently part of the Dan Marino Center, a part of the Miami Children’s Hospital. The Dan Marino Center focuses on the diagnoses and treatment of children with a risk for psychological and developmental problems. Marino has used this foundation to spread awareness of autism, and has collected over $22 million for research, treatment, and diagnoses of developmental and psychological issues among children.
The foundation currently donates to multiple research facilities such as: Autism Societies of Miami-Dade and Broward, the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, the Florida Atlantic University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, and the Dan Marino Foundation. His foundation has also reached out to celebrities and popular figures, including Doug Flutie, who also has a son diagnosed with autism. In 2005 the Dan Marino Foundation was honored by the Miami Heat in front of thousands of a packed American Airline Stadium.The Marino Foundation also sponsors fundraisers such as the “Walk About Autism”.
Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie also has a son diagnosed with autism. He has spent much of his post-NFL career donating to foundations which further the research of autism. He also started his own foundation called the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation, named for his son Doug, Jr. Flutie has even created a cereal called Flutie Flakes that donates all of it’s proceeds to research in treatment and diagnoses of autism. 
Flutie has run multiple campaigns connected to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation which help the lives of children and families affected by autism. These campaigns include” Autism on the Go” and the Annual Golf Classic. The Autism on the Go campaign was created in honor of Flutie’s parents who passed away in November of 2015. This campaign raises funds for the foundation’s “Active Lifestyle” program, which provides children with autism the opportunity to participate in activities such as sports programs, aquatic programs, music programs, social skills building, and family events.
