Bye weeks in the NFL are a time to make adjustments to improve your team. But they also represent the one little break that players get during the gruelling four-month regular season. The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles just had theirs in Week 9, and many of the players made the most of it. Especially reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Saquon Barkley.
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The running back no doubt spent much of his bye week at the Eagles’ facility working on his craft with the rest of his teammates. But he and his family also took the time to organize and give back.
The Barkley clan hosted the inaugural Hurdles for Hope Gala at the Philadelphia Museum of Art last Saturday, November 1. Many of his teammates, including Eagles lifer Brandon Graham, attended the event to show their support for the Michael Ann and Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation. Graham said it was a lovely evening for a good cause.
“Man, that was fun, that was cool. Me and wifey got to—that was a nice little date night on top of supporting a teammate. Seeing a bunch of our teammates out there. I had a good table, we was all laughing and having a good time. It was Jordan Mailata and his wife, Jalen [Hurts] and his wife, … and Landon, Landon Dickerson and his wife.”
The event was held with the goal of raising $250k that would be used for “scholarships, housing support, and safe spaces for under-resourced families across the region.”
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There is no indication of whether or not they met their goal at the event. But after seeing what the gala looked like and the pricey people that attended, it’s hard to believe they would have fallen short.
The Michael Ann and Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation is named in honor of Barkley’s paternal grandmother, Michael Ann. They have been hosting events like this since it was founded in 2020. The foundation’s mission statement is to “empower youth and families through the support of programs and initiatives that combine success in sports and academics.”
In the summer, the foundation also partnered with local organizations to gift 200 backpacks to high school kids attending Liguori Academy near the Kensington area in Philly.
