The holiday season for NFL players means focusing on finishing the regular season strong with only a couple of weeks left on the calendar.
For some, it’s the race to the playoffs. For others, it’s recording good reps and hoping the season ends on a high note.
But what is not lost for these athletes is the Christmas spirit, as demonstrated by four NFL stars: Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals), James Conner (Arizona Cardinals), Pat Surtain II (Denver Broncos) and Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders ), helping Raising Cane’s gave away bicycles to children last week in their respective communities.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Patrick Surtain II spends time handing out bikes to children along with Raising Cane’s. (Raising the cane)
When speaking with each star last week, Pak Gazette Digital asked them to search the memory bank for their favorite Christmas memories.
For Daniels, the favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year, he couldn’t just pick one because of how much spending time with family means to him.
“Almost all of them,” he said, laughing. “Being with my family, enjoying the holidays. I would probably say when I was younger I could wake up on Christmas, open presents and watch Kobe Bryant play basketball. Those are my favorite memories.”
NFL STARS WORK WITH RAISING CANE’S TO DELIVER HUNDREDS OF BIKES TO CHILDREN DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON
Surtain grew up with a father who played in the NFL, so he understands well how valuable it is to spend time together during the holidays with the family.
“This probably sounds a little cliché, but my favorite moments are spending time with family at the end of the day,” she explained. “Gifts mean a lot, but that’s something that will be here and there. Spending time, spending precious moments with family means a lot, especially during the holidays.
“I always remember having a big family gathering back then. Great counter food, great Christmas activities, different games and stuff. I would always remember and share those special memories that are in a special place in my heart. I think Sharing those “Memories with my family will always be beautiful.”
Bengals’ Tee Higgins and Raising Cane’s team up to donate 100 bikes to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati. (IMAGE)
Conner also loved every ounce of time he spent with family, especially when it came to a beloved Christmas tradition.
“I remember when I was a kid I put my tree in the house,” he said. “We had a little five-foot tree. By putting it up, you got into the Christmas spirit early.”
And maybe some of us know what it’s like to be curious in the middle of the night and see if there are presents around the tree.
That was Higgins, who immediately knew what his favorite Christmas memory was, even if it came with some parental discipline.
“I remember one time I woke up in the middle of the night and my dad had bought me this dirt bike,” Higgins began. “He’s sitting in the living room. I woke up in the middle of the night, my parents were asleep. I went in there and started the dirt bike, and everyone in the house woke up. I ended up with a very quick scream.”
James Conner takes photos with a fan at the bike giveaway. (Raising the cane)
Don’t worry, Higgins was able to use his new dirt bike the next day.
The common theme at the end of the day here is spending quality time with family and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
