Little Nevaeh got a big surprise when Oakland Raiders Carson Palmer and Terrelle Pryor came to visit her at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland. The quarterbacks and their teammates traded in their one day off for time with the patients.
"You realize that football isn't everything, but it's just a great opportunity for us to come in and meet these kids," said Palmer.
Patient Luis Gonzalez has cancer. The visit by his favorite team lifted his spirits.
"I was really kind of sick an hour ago... not even an hour ago, like 30 minutes ago and right now I feel pretty good," said Gonzalez.
Running back Taiwan Jones is from the Bay Area and feels blessed to be able to help out on his home turf.
"I got to color with one kid. You could tell it really made his day, which made my day," said Jones.
Sometimes, the players find they have things in common with the kids. And they're good sports.
In addition to the hospital visit, quarterback Terrelle Pryor recently talked with students at Oakland's Barack Obama Academy. They played a little touch football and the kids learned a valuable lesson.
"I taught them about the 10 second rule right? They got 10 seconds to decide, is this a good thing I should be doing or not? If it's not a good thing and nothing is coming out good, then you should just walk away and that's the best way to do it," said Pryor.
Here at Ascend School. The Raiders presented a check for $10,000 as part of the NFL Play 60 grant. Five lucky students got to ask some hard hitting questions, like how do they get so buff? It was a chance for the students to see their heroes up close.
"They gave me a handshake," said student Santiago Gomez. When asked if he thought that was pretty cool, Gomez said, "Yeah."
"A lot of us came from the same type of place that these kids are coming from and didn't always have people to let us know that they cared and we want to let these kids know that we do care and that there is something good that can come out of them," said Raiders fullback Marcel Reece.
Some of the Raiders told me they wish they had been able to interact with NFL players when they were growing up which is why they like to get out and talk to kids any chance they get.
