When receiver Rome Odunze steps onto the field for pregame warmups Sunday at Soldier Field, he'll be donning a pair of fuzzy, teddy bear-esque cleats, but not just because he's a Chicago Bear.
The custom cleats that look more like a stuffed animal than a pair of shoes are in support of Operation Gratitude — a non-profit that honors the service of military members and their families through various care packages. Odunze will rep Operation Gratitude as part of the NFL's annual My Cause My Cleats initiative, which gives players, coaches and staff members the opportunity to spotlight non-profits they care about through custom cleats.
"Honestly, I think it's one of the best things the NFL does," Odunze said of My Cause My Cleats. "It really is incredible. I mean, it's win-win on both sides. Guys get to work with their favorite organizations and everybody likes to wear cool, custom cleats. We get to go out there and support those organizations on game day, and through little events leading up to it as well. It's such a genuine opportunity and just gets everybody involved, which is awesome."
Before showcasing Operation Gratitude on gameday, Odunze wanted to provide hands-on help to military families. Odunze grew up hearing stories from his grandmother, who served as a military nurse, and understands how support much families of service members need and deserve.
So, he enlisted the help of the Bears rookie class during their off day Tuesday. The group made over 100 stuffed bears to be placed in care packages for children who have a family member serving.
"I always look forward to finding a fun new way to give back and be a part of something bigger than myself, especially when it comes to My Cause My Cleats," Odunze shared. "So, being able to work with Operation Gratitude definitely has been a great opportunity, and it's an organization that a lot of families get help from and get a lot of support from.
"I was able to do this with my rooks and have some fun with it. You never can give enough credit to the soldiers and their families and all that they go through to keep us safe."
Being that NFL players were involved, the wholesome activity also required some competition to see who could stuff the most bears. By the end of the event, Odunze felt he had done so, but gave offensive linemen Ozzy Trapilo and Luke Newman honorary mentions.
Trapilo and Newman did struggle at first, however. In the football world, having large hands is an attractive trait, it doesn't quite work as well when trying to fit stuffing into small stuffed animals. Still, the rookies persevered and spent the next 90 minutes filling up a box of bears.
"I think it's super important for us to come support Rome," Trapilo said. "We got to stuff bears all day, and it's for a really great cause, for military members and other families. It's easy to take what we have for granted, including the platform that we have, but an opportunity to give back to communities in any way, shape or form is really important, and it's something that we should utilize our platforms for.
"A lot of times, being on this stage doesn't seem as big to us as it does to the outside world, so I think it's a really cool thing that we're able to do."
Trapilo is among several rookies participating in My Cause My Cleats this season. The Boston College product will represent Best Buddies — the world's largest organization dedicated to ending the isolation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
During Trapilo's college career, he became connected to Best Buddies through Boston College's chapter.
"I was able to actually get a buddy, and we hung out a good amount — James Keith, shout out James," Trapilo shared. "It was really cool to meet him, spend time with him. We did a bunch of fun things throughout the year-and-a-half that I was at BC doing this.
"I think it's a great cause, and I enjoyed spending time with James and being around that community. So I'm happy to wear the cleats for it."
Another rookie that will wear custom cleats against the Steelers is tight end Colston Loveland, who is recognizing Special Olympics Idaho. Growing up in rural Gooding, Idaho, Loveland felt blessed to be involved in sports from a young age, but understands that opportunity isn't easily accessible to everyone.
Special Olympics Idaho is a statewide movement that champions inclusion, health, leadership and community for individuals with intellectual disabilities, primarily through sports.
"I think sports brings so much community and togetherness," Loveland said. "The fact that some people don't get an opportunity to do that or kind of get looked over, helping a cause that counters that was something that meant a lot to me. And then, being from Idaho, I know they don't have a ton of resources, so they could use any type of help they can get.
"Giving back is always the answer, especially in our position. We're super blessed with all these opportunities, the voice to do these things."
Odunze was grateful for the rookies' involvement in his My Cause My Cleats event and hopes that time together can inspire the group to continue giving back.
"Obviously, we have great people in the locker room, great guys already," Odunze said, "but just giving the rooks another extra reminder that it's important to get back and sacrifice some of your time to give to those who are in need of it and hopefully brighten somebody's day a little bit.
"They now have the ability, the power to do that. Especially in their position, they are very blessed as well. So, I appreciate them coming out and doing it. I think it'll hopefully inspire them to do some stuff on their own or continue to do more stuff with Operation Gratitude."
