Falcons running back/wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson knows the feeling of losing a child, and he’s bringing awareness to the cause with the cleats he will wear against Tampa Bay on Sunday.
He will support Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness. In 2017, he and his partner, Taylor, had a son born stillborn.
“Every day goes by we still think about our son and what happened,” Patterson said. “It happens every day in life, honestly. Some people don’t understand that some ladies only have one chance to get pregnant, and they lose their baby and never have the opportunity to do it again.”
Falcons players will raise awareness for several non-profit organizations and causes on the field for “My Cause My Cleats” game.
The player-led NFL campaign began in 2016. A total of 41 Falcons have selected causes to represent.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan selected to represent the At-Promise Youth & Community Center in Atlanta on his cleats.
“This is a spot that last year Sarah and I raised some money for what we’re calling the ATL Project, and as a result of it, so many people were generous, we raised quite a bit of money and have turned it into a foundation,” Ryan said on Wednesday. “Part of what we talked about at that time was investing in at-risk spots in Atlanta. The first place that we decided to donate to was the At-Promise Center,” Ryan said this week.
“They do a great job providing after-school programs for kids and putting them in spots to be successful. COVID has been a struggle for lots of after-school programs in the city. We’re just trying to support them where we can, and I’m excited about it. We really feel like we’ve got a good foundation to support already existing organizations that might need a little bit of help, to continue to do some of the things that they’ve done particularly with the stresses of the last year and a half, so I’m excited to represent them this week.”
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Player Cause
Josh Andrews — Project Sleep
Willie Beavers — American Cancer Society
Christian Blake — American Diabetes Foundation
Jonathan Bullard — American Cancer Society (NCCRT)
John Cominsky — Cominsky Family Foundation
Brandon Copeland — Beyond the Basics, Inc.
Mike Davis — Prostate Cancer Foundation / Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Emmanuel Ellerbee — Bee’s Believers
Dante Fowler — American Cancer Society
Russell Gage — Shoes That Fit
Wayne Gallman — The Tender Foundation
Ta’Quon Graham — National Cancer Society / St. Jude
Richie Grant — Drawchange
Darren Hall — Wilderness Works
Marvin Hall — Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Duron Harmon — Autism Speaks
Erik Harris — Having Faith / Parker’s Way Foundation
Josh Harris — Chase the Victory
Matt Hennessy — Hayden Hurst Foundation
Hayden Hurst — TopDogg K9 / Hayden Hurst Foundation
Grady Jarrett — Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Deion Jones — Young Authors Publishing
Chris Lindstrom — Best Buddies Georgia
Kaleb McGary — American Diabetes Association / National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Steven Means — YELLS (Youth Empowerment through Learning, Leading and Serving)
Fabian Moreau — Alzheimer’s Association
Isaiah Oliver — Caris Sports Foundation
Foye Oluokun — Life for Life Academy (St. Louis)
Cordarrelle Patterson — Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness
Kyle Pitts — Boys and Girls Club (Philadelphia)
John Raine — Food for the Poor
Josh Rosen — Sierra Club Foundation
Anthony Rush — Atlanta Children’s Shelter
Matt Ryan — At-Promise Youth & Community Center
Tajae Sharpe — BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health) Organization
Kendall Sheffield — Susan G. Komen Foundation
Lee Smith — P.U.N.T. Foundation Buffalo N.Y.
A.J. Terrell — Ace Trilogy
Austin Trammell — Alex’s Lemonade Stand
James Vaughters — NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects)
Mykal Walker — Women’s and Children’s Alliance
The Bow Tie Chronicles
For more content about The Atlanta Falcons
Follow me on Twitter @DOrlandoAJC
On Facebook at Atlanta Falcons News Now
Atlanta Falcons coverage on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons’ 2021 schedule features trip to London, January trip to Buffalo
Atlanta Falcons schedule and scores
Bye Week
Next four games
Tampa Bay at Falcons, 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 5
Falcons at Carolina, 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 12
Falcons at San Francisco, 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 19
Detroit Lions at Falcons, 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 26
