In February, two staples of the New Orleans community, Saints defensive end Will Smith and film and television star Wendell Pierce, joined forces with Pro Player Insiders, to host a VIP Super Bowl party in New Orleans. Proceeds from this event benefited Smith’s “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way” Foundation and Pierce’s Pontchartrain Neighborhood Association. The evening featured music, cocktails, appetizers, a silent auction and a glam bar. Will Smith and Wendell Pierce were joined by other celebrities from sports and entertainment who came together to show support.
Jeff Charleston, a defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was very enthused about having the chance to return to the city in which he played for four years. He was eager to support his former teammate Will Smith remarking, “Will is a great guy, puts on a great charity; I love to give back anytime I can help him.” Charleston, who has not played in an NFL game since the 2011-12 season, where he went on to win Super bowl XLIV with his former team the New Orleans Saints, is currently a free agent. This year his fans will be anxious for the news as to whether he will play in the upcoming season.
Byron Chamberlain, a former tight end for the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, and Washington Redskins, played in nine seasons of NFL football before he retired. He finished off his career with a total of 2,048 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The final team Chamberlain would play for was the Washington Redskins back in the 2003-04 season. Chamberlain played against Smith during his NFL career of eight years. According to Chamberlain, “it is a part of [his] nature to give back” As someone who he previously played against, Chamberlain Said of Smith, “I have a lot of respect for Will, so when he invited me out, I was definitely coming.”
Buffalo Bills linebacker Kirk Morrison is another free agent in this upcoming offseason. It doesn’t appear the Bills, where Morrison spent last season with limited playing time, will re-sign him. With that said, Morrison is still an experienced NFL linebacker who has started on several different teams, so finding work for Morrison shouldn’t be a problem. While at the PPI event, he told us what he was up to in New Orleans. “What haven’t I been doing in New Orleans, I’ve been doing radio, TV, a lot of events.” Morrison also said charity is very important for him “Anytime you can help support someone else, especially Will, I wanted to make sure I could be here.” He also added, “I’m big on the charities, especially when you’re in a city where you can give back.”
Omar Miller has been very lucky in his life and knows what the true meaning of success is. Omar has performed in a number of movies like “8 mile” with rapper Eminem, “Get Rich or Die Tryin” with rapper 50 cent, and “Shall We Dance.” He has also been in a number of TV shows including; “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “The West Wing.”. Omar Miller was also present at the event and gave his opinion on what it means to be truly successful. “Supporting the charities means everything to me; the key component of real success is to give back and that’s what I’m trying to do. I have been blessed, I have had success and now I want to give back to the less fortunate so they can get up and help.” Miller means what he says, and has his own charity foundation which is meant to bridge the gap between the need to feed the hungry citizens of the Los Angeles community with the daily abundance of un-eaten food available on movie and television sets.
Pro Player Insiders was proud to have worked with both charities to promote and produce a very successful and well attended event. It’s always uplifting to see players and their families come together for a common cause, and to have a bit of fun together, under the helmet.
More stories you might like
