New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is using his stay-at-home time wisely and generously this offseason. He continues to give back to the community in any way he can and now will pair with another young NFL star to benefit local small businesses.
Barkley and former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovaloa, who was selected fifth overall in this year’s NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, will face off in game of Madden 20 in support of local businesses affected by COVID-19.
Verizon’s Pay It Forward Live, the weekly live-streamed entertainment series in support of small businesses affected by COVID-19, will pair New York Giants Saquon Barkley and Miami Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa in a battle on EA Sports Madden NFL 20 on Tuesday, May 26. The event will stream live at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m PT on Twitter @Verizon, Twitch, Yahoo, Verizon’s Facebook page, and Fios Channel 501. The event will be available on Verizon’s platforms for one week following the live stream.
As they play, Barkley and Tagovailoa will share and support their favorite local businesses, engage with fans, and create small-business-themed in-game experiences – all while encouraging viewers to visit Verizon.com/PayItForwardLive to do what they can to support local businesses by shopping online, buying a gift card or ordering a meal.
“I’m excited to join Verizon’s Pay It Forward Live and highlight some of my favorite small businesses,” said Barkley. “Tua and I will have some fun as we support a great cause.”
“Local businesses are very important to me and my family and now more than ever they really need our support,” said Tagovailoa. “I’m excited to team up with Verizon and Saquon to not only help out, but to bring some football to people’s homes!”
NFL teams have been given the approval to begin returning to their facilities based on where they located, but the Giants will apparently not get that go-ahead anytime soon.
States such as California, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts and Virginia are still under heavy restrictions and that immediately leaves 12 franchises in those states unable to use their facilities.
Many teams who were given the green light to reopen last week chose not to (Packers, Ravens, Dolphins, Vikings, Titans, Buccaneers, Browns, Panthers, Saints, Eagles), while a few decided to chance it (Cowboys, Falcons, Texans, Cardinals, Bengals, Chiefs, Colts).
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