Stayward campaign continues with video from Jazz fans


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SALT LAKE CITY — The man who started the billboard and social media campaign of #Stayward is back with one last effort to persuade Gordon Hayward to stay with the Utah Jazz.

Sunday night a video featuring several Jazz fans was released on the "Stayward" Twitter account calling the video "A free agency pitch from the best fanbase in the NBA."

In the Stayward video, several Jazz fans make one more pitch to Hayward reminding him of the impact he has had on Utah and the legacy he could have if he stays. Fans recap the growth Hayward has achieved in Utah and even gives him the chance to be one of the guys that "came as a kid and evolved to deity."

Fans in the video also declare that Hayward will one day have a statue that will represent "the legacy of the guy that stayed." They then challenge him to be the one that will "stand tall."

The "Stayward" campaign is headed up by Jazz fan, Garrett Jones. He initially started the endeavor by wanting to raise $5,000 to rent a billboard in between the Jazz’s practice facility and the Vivint Smart Home Arena on I-15. According to his GoFundMe account, Jazz fans have now raised almost $7,000 with all the extra money going to a foundation for cancer research.

The video is almost to 1,000 retweets on Twitter with the President of the Utah Jazz Steve Starks even retweeting the video. Whether or not the whole Stayward campaign has influenced the All-Star, Jazz fans will soon know the fate of Hayward as free agents can officially sign with a team on July 7; although his decision could be known as soon as Monday.

Lindsey Peterson is a Brigham Young University student studying broadcast journalism. Contact her at lindspeterson4@gmail.com or on Twitter @LindsPetey.

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