On Monday night Santonio Holmes along with former New York Jet David Clowney (who flew in for the event) hosted “Bowling with the Jets” which was held at the Jersey Lanes in Linden, New Jersey. The event, which quickly sold out, included food provided by Applebees and Chevy’s with the proceeds going to support the David Clowney Foundation and Santonio’s III & Long Foundation which benefit children and families suffering from Sickle Cell Anemia.
Several Jets players were in attendance including Mark Sanchez, Jerricho Cotchery, Bart Scott, Drew Coleman, Vernon Gholston, and Braylon Edwards.
In terms of a fan experience this event was somewhat chaotic as there was not much organization in terms of dealing with the players. While the event was called “Bowling with the Jets”, the fans were there to get some pictures and autographs. For whatever reason the organizers wanted everyone to wait until after the event was over to deal with the players, which was almost comical in concept. In the end it was a great turnout for a good cause, so that is what matters the most.
Sidenotes
1) I give Mark Sanchez a lot of credit as he was swarmed by fans upon entering the building. Sanchez did his best to smile for the cameras and ended his evening behind a table signing as many autographs as he could.
2) When it comes to players that are fan friendly, Bart Scott and Jerricho Cotchery have to top the list. Both of these guys took substantial time to sign autographs for the fans, and did it with a smile on their face.
3) While Scott and Cotchery were great with the fans, Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes definitely did not earn any new ones. For whatever reason both Holmes and Edwards had somewhat of an attitude, which was surprising considering that this was a charity event. It is one thing to have a bad day, it is another to be rude especially when dealing with fans that are there to support your cause.
For more information on David Clowney’s foundation please check out www.DavidClowney87.com.