As Aaron Rodgers is set to try to push the Green Bay Packers back into the playoffs in the 2019 season, he’s giving back.
The quarterback, who is from Chico, California, is donating 375 football helmets to Chico High, Paradise High, and Pleasant Valley, where he played high school football.
Rodgers is gifting the schools the VICIS ZERO1 model, which has consistently outperformed other models in the annual safety tests jointly conducted by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
The donation, which was made through the Aaron Rodgers Foundation, according to the Sacramento Bee, is intended to support an area that was devastated by forest fires earlier this year.
“For me, this is a chance to step up and support the community where I was born and raised,” Rodgers said in a statement, according to the Bee. “I chose to invest in VICIS because of their ultimate commitment to player protection. These kids deserve the best, and I’m happy to play a small role in outfitting them with the safest helmets.”
Rodgers and the Packers open the NFL regular season Thursday night against the Chicago Bears to commemorate the start of the league’s 100th season.
“I don’t know if anybody outside of Paradise and Butte County can truly understand what football means to helping us to feel normal again,” Paradise coach Rick Prinz told the Sacramento Bee. “We’re grateful for Aaron’s donation.
“I’ve been the head coach now for eight years and not one time have I ever had to ask Aaron for anything. He calls or texts every year and says, ‘Coach, here is what I would like to do. Is this OK?’ He does so much for our school and community that most people have no idea.”
Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.
