Breaking the stigma is important.
That’s the problem some of the greatest tight ends in NFL history want to help combat. For prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States, it’s important to get tested as early as possible. The problem is that the stigma surrounding getting tested causes many men to choose to avoid getting tested.
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Tony Gonzalez, Delanie Walker and several others are trying to relax a little in that sense. Gonzalez and Walker are featured in Novartis’ Super Bowl event, “Relax, It’s a Blood Test,” which will air during Super Bowl X. Greg Olson, Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle, Vernon Davis, Colby Parkinson and Bruce Arians are also among the cast members.
The event, in which players and Arians — who survived the discovery of prostate cancer — urged men to “relax” their tight ends, is a play on all of this because the test involves a prick of the finger rather than the traditional assumption. For more information, visit RelaxItsABloodTest.com.
Both Gonzalez and Walker spoke with SB Nation about their passion behind the campaign and how far the tight end position has come in the modern era. To be clear, the position has come a long way so far in terms of its actual use on the football field, but particularly in terms of notoriety being the focus. Consider this entire campaign comprised of tight ends from Super Bowls past and present. Tight end is cool. Much cooler than before.
What’s the coolest part about them? They’re using their newfound street cred to do good, helping to fight prostate cancer by raising awareness about testing.
