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NEW YORK (AP) — From back yards to playgrounds to schools, the NFL is looking back at its players' roots through its Play 60 program.
The latest promotion, themed "Come Out To Play," focuses on where the likes of the Manning brothers, Victor Cruz, J.J. Watt and Calvin Johnson embraced football as youngsters. The spot will debut on Thanksgiving Day and run for the rest of the season.
Highlighted will be the house where Peyton and Eli Manning grew up in New Orleans, Watt's house in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, and Victor Cruz's house in Patterson, New Jersey. Also featured are the playground where Cam Newton played in College Park, Georgia; Johnny Unitas-Bigbee Field in East Brady, Pennsylvania, where Jim Kelly learned the game; the South Oakland neighborhood and home in Pittsburgh where Dan Marino began to develop into a Hall of Fame quarterback; and Johnson's Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia.
Play 60 is the NFL's initiative for fans to stay active through exercise. Several NFL players will be featured in the latest promotion doing activities with children in their communities.
"You heard that bell ring and everyone would go play after school," says NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray of the Cowboys, who revisited his school in Las Vegas. "We all had bikes and we'd pretend they were like motorcycles and ride through the neighborhood.
"It is important for kids to have a chance to go out and play."
The video is available at NFLRUSH.com/play60.
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