Michael Strahan is honoring service dogs and his father for the My Cause My Cleats Campaign. The former New York Giants star and Pro Football Hall of Famer went to Instagram to show off his new football cleats. The design features the colors of the American flag and the Patriots Paws logo. It has the words “R.I.P. Dad,” to honor his father, who died earlier this year.
For [My Cause My Cleats], I am supporting [Patriot PAWS service dogs]. As an army brat and dog lover, it’s a natural fit to help honor the memory of my dad,” Strahan wrote in the Instagram post. “Patriot PAWS’s mission is to train and provide service dogs of the highest quality at no cost to disabled American veterans and others with mobile disabilities to help restore their physical and emotional independence.”
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Strahan has been retired from the NFL for nearly 15 years, but he can still get involved in the campaign for NFL players. As mentioned on the NFL’s official website, the My Cause My Cleats campaign is when “NFL players reveal their passions beyond the game and wear their hearts on their feet through My Cause My Cleats. Players have the opportunity to pick a cause that is important to them and represent their chosen organization on custom-designed cleats.”
Strahan’s father, Gene Willie Strahan Sr., died at the age of 83 in September. Strahan’s loved for the military came from his father, who served in the U.S. Army and the 82nd Airborne Division. “The biggest goal in everything I’ve ever done was to make him proud,” Strahan said in an Instagram post to his father. “Knowing that I did that gives me peace but also pushes me to continue because I know he’s watching from above.”
Strahan, an anchor on Good Morning America, played in the NFL from 1993 – 2007. He was drafted in the second round by the New York Giants in 1993 and spent his entire career in New York. In his final season with the Giants, he helped the team beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Strahan was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and the Al-Pro Team six times. He still holds the NFL record for most sacks in a season with 22.5. The 49-year old is a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team after recording 141.5 sacks in his career.
