{ Former and current NFL players will auction off their artwork at the upcoming Smocks & Jocks event. }
By Khalil Garriott
NFLPLAYERS.COM
An upcoming annual event, taking place the day before Super Bowl XLIV, will feature unique artwork created by former and current NFL players.
The Smocks & Jocks NFL Players Association Retired Players Jazz Brunch and Art Auction will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6 at the private estate Villa Vecchia located on Miami’s Intercoastal Waterway. Many pieces of art, created by some of the NFL’s finest and most talented, will be auctioned off in a silent auction format.
Each year, dozens of proud players contribute their artwork to the event. This year, the confirmed participants include James Anderson, Steve Christie, Andre Collins, Chris Cooley, Phillip Crosby, Larry Gagner, Chet Hanulak, Sydney Justin, Cedric Killings, Todd Marinovich, George Nock, Matthew Rice, Kendall Simmons, Jeffery Stephenson, Duane Thomas and Lynde Washington.
“With football being such a creative game, art and football together just makes sense,” said Collins, NFLPA’s Director of Retired Players and an artist himself. “There’s so much creativity on the field, it makes sense that some of these guys would be creative.”
Smocks & Jocks, which includes a jazz brunch, brings together the diverse art and football communities for a worthwhile charity event. The event’s attire is business casual. Selected artists from VSA Arts of Florida also will have artwork included in the auction.
Tickets cost $125 each and are completely tax-deductible. Ticket proceeds benefit the Gene Upshaw Player Assistance Trust Fund and VSA Arts of Florida (
http://www.vsafl.org). The ticket price includes a full brunch, a jazz performance, an art auction and the opportunity to mingle with several former and current NFL players.
“[It] was developed to show a different side of the professional athlete or the professional football player,” Collins said. “Players had always expressed having the opportunity to showcase a different side of their talents. It’s kind of blossomed ever since.”
The NFLPA formed the Professional Athletes Foundation Player Assistance Trust (PAT) in 1991 to assist former players in financial crises. Since its inception, the PAT Fund has distributed more than $6.4 million to 1,062 players. Last fall, the foundation’s board members unanimously agreed to rename the PAT Fund in honor of Upshaw, who led the players union for 25 years until his passing in August 2008.
VSA Arts of Florida’s mission is to create a society in which people with disabilities can learn, participate and enjoy the arts. Headquartered at the University of South Florida in Tampa, VSA Arts of Florida is an affiliate of VSA Arts, an international nonprofit organization that promotes the creative power in people with disabilities. VSA Arts of Florida serves over a million people each year through a network of statewide affiliates.