Courtesy NY Jets PR Department
The New York Jets announced today details of the team’s plans to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of September 11th. The team will join the NFL and the nation to honor, remember and reunite during its regular season opener at MetLife Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11. The game will air in front of a national television audience on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
“Sept. 11, 2001 was a tragic day our nation will never forget,” said Jets chairman and CEO Woody Johnson. “The New York Jets are honored to commemorate the 10-year anniversary, remembering those who were lost, those they left behind and all those who became heroes that day. We are proud to join with our fellow countrymen and women to reunite as the greatest nation in the world.”
The team’s plans include:
PREGAME
■ Each fan will receive an American Flag upon entrance to MetLife Stadium.
■ Taps will be streamed live into the stadium with the backdrop of the World Trade Center site.
■ FDNY, NYPD and PAPD bagpipers will perform Amazing Grace from the field.
■ Our nation’s colors will be presented by New York City Joint Service Color Guard.
■ A full-field American Flag will be unfurled and held by members of the military, FDNY, NYPD and PAPD alongside both the Cowboys and the Jets.
■ Children of first responders will serve as the team’s honorary captains.
HALFTIME
Note: As part of a special halftime tribute, the stadium will transition into concert mode and the stadium lights will be turned off for the duration of halftime. The team asks that fans remain in their seats for this emotional tribute.
■ Halftime will open with New York native and Academy Award-winning actor Robert De Niro narrating a powerful moment created by family members of 9/11 victims, represented by Tuesday’s Children.
■ John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting will perform an acoustic, piano version of “Superman (It’s Not Easy).” Superman, off the album America Town, became an anthem for many after the Sept. 11 attacks. A version of the song was performed at The Concert for New York City in late 2001.
Ondrasik said of participating in this tribute: “As it was 10 years ago, it is an honor to pay tribute to those Americans who showed immeasurable courage during and after the attacks of 9-11. We can never forget the families who lost loved ones and may we find strength in the memory of New York City’s heroes.”
THROUGHOUT THE GAME
Fans who wish to make a donation to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum can text to pledge during the game. Fans who text HOPE to 80088 will make a $10 donation.
The FDNY and NYPD hats that will be worn on the sidelines by players and coaches will be the Jets Shop Item of the Week at the game and available online at jetsshop.com. The hats will retail for $15 and 100% of the proceeds from sales of the hat will be donated to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
ABOUT THE 9/11 MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM
The mission of the Memorial Museum, located at the World Trade Center site, is to bear solemn witness to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and Feb. 26, 1993. The Museum honors the nearly 3,000 victims of these attacks and all those who risked their lives to save others. It further recognizes the thousands who survived and all who demonstrated extraordinary compassion in the aftermath. Demonstrating the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and its impact on communities at the local, national, and international levels, the Museum attests to the triumph of human dignity over human depravity and affirms an unwavering commitment to the fundamental value of human life.
ABOUT TUESDAY’S CHILDRENTuesday’s Children is a non-profit family service organization that has made a long term commitment to every individual impacted by the events of Sept. 11, 2001 and more recently those who have been impacted by terrorist incidents worldwide. Since 2001, Tuesday’s Children has promoted healing and recovery by strengthening family resilience, providing individual coping and life management skills and creating community through programs, mental health support and family engagement opportunities. For further information, visit tuesdayschildren.org.