ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Emmanuel Sanders and his Broncos teammates received a boost Wednesday in their effort to raise money for Hurricane Harvey victims.
During Wednesday's annual Kickoff Luncheon, presented by U.S. Bank and Arrow Electronics, Sanders announced the Broncos would match he and his teammates' contributions to aid in disaster relief.
"Obviously you guys see what's going on out in Houston with Hurricane Harvey," Sanders said. "It's extremely bad out there. I've got family and friends, and a lot of people out there are struggling and need our help. Luckily I've got great teammates and I play for a great organization. My teammates and I, we've raised over $70,000."
The Broncos will join a number of other professional sports organizations in making a donation to assist the hurricane victims, but KOA's Dave Logan, who emceed the event, insisted the team's gift is not the norm.
"That doesn't happen with every NFL franchise," Logan said. "I think it's real cool that it happens here in Denver."
Von Miller, who attended Texas A&M and is from Texas, was among the players who donated. He said he would've donated to any city facing this kind of crisis, but he said the number of ties he and his teammates have to Houston led him to feel the cause "in my heart."
Miller was also appreciative of the support the Broncos will lend.
"It's great," Miller said. "It just shows you what type of organization we have here at Dove Valley. It's a wonderful place to play and be a part of."
The Broncos' pledge to aid the hurricane relief cause was just one of many causes they assisted Wednesday. The Broncos raised more than $150,000 through event sponsorship and a silent auction, all of which will be granted back into the community. In addition, the money will assist Denver Broncos Charities in hosting other programming and events.
"It's great," Miller said. "It's a tradition that we've been doing here, and it's a wonderful event to be a part of. It feels like this is the start of the season for us. This is our sixth year now. We've been doing it for a long time. It feels great to come and meet some of our partners and spent a little bit of time with them."
