MetLife, Jets & Giants Team Up for Online Auctions to Support Students

Fans to bid on one-of-a-kind experiences and authentic merchandise to benefit Year Up New York | New Jersey and the New York City Police Foundation’s Far Rockaway Giants and Harlem Giants

NEW YORK, November 7, 2022 – MetLife, along with the New York Giants and New York Jets, has kicked off online auctions to support programs that help students better prepare for their futures. As part of MetLife’s “Inside the Huddle” initiative, the auctions will help raise funds to benefit Year Up New York | New Jersey and the New York City Police (NYPD) Foundation’s Far Rockaway Giants and Harlem Giants.

New York Giants players Julian Love and Graham Gano and New York Jets players Laken Tomlinson and Quinnen Williams are serving as “Inside the Huddle” program ambassadors, providing both experiences and authentic merchandise to bid on as well as lending promotional support to the program.

Open through GivingTuesday, November 29, 2022, two online auctions – one for the Jets and another for the Giants – will offer one-of-a-kind experiences and authentic merchandise, including photos, footballs, jerseys and helmets signed by current and former players. Unique experiences available for auction include:

• The “Laken Tomlinson Experience” – a tour of the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, N.J., and a Jamaican-style dinner with Tomlinson for four people.
• The “Quinnen Williams Experience” – playing Madden with Williams at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, N.J., for four people.
• The “Graham Gano Experience” – a kicking lesson with Gano at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center at MetLife Stadium for four people.
• The “Julian Love Experience” – a game night with Love at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center at MetLife Stadium for four people.

Additionally, VIP game tickets, training camp passes, tours of training facilities with team legends, and a game-day tour of the team’s radio broadcast booth are available for bidding. Love, Gano and Tomlinson will dedicate their NFL “My Cause, My Cleats” customized cleats to their respective partner organizations and will auction them.

“The MetLife and Jets initiative supporting Year Up New York | New Jersey helps students prepare for their futures,” said New York Jets offensive guard Laken Tomlinson. “I hope that my experience – a tour of the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center and a fantastic Jamaican dinner with me – will help raise funds to continue to support deserving students and provide them more career opportunities.”

“The ‘Inside the Huddle’ initiative with MetLife and the New York Jets will allow Year Up New York | New Jersey to reach more young adults and, in partnership with Year Up Professional Resources, has connected one of our students with an internship at MetLife Stadium, where they will get real-life experience to help them launch their professional career,” said Nadine Sylvester, site director of Year Up New York | New Jersey.

In support of the initiative, MetLife will contribute $30,000 to each team’s charitable organization for a total of $60,000. These funds will be in addition to the funds raised directly from the auctions. All of the experiences and authentic merchandise for the auction are being donated by MetLife, in partnership with the New York Jets, the New York Giants, as well as the player ambassadors.

“Bidding on auction items is an easy way for fans to make a difference in the lives of the Far Rockaway and Harlem Giants and their families,” said New York Giants place kicker Graham Gano. “My experience – a kicking lesson at the training facility – will be a lot of fun and most importantly will raise funds, matched by MetLife, that will give kids the extra support they need both in school and on the field.”

“The New York City Police Foundation is grateful to our sponsors, MetLife and the New York Giants, as well as everyone who participates in the online auction to support the Far Rockaway and Harlem Giants Program and the youth who are served by it,” said Susan Birnbaum, President & CEO of the New York City Police Foundation, which funds the program. “The Far Rockaway and Harlem Giants Program is an outstanding initiative that continues to transform lives and strengthen our city by connecting youth with police officers.”

MetLife’s “Inside the Huddle” initiative is one way the company is investing in young people in its communities and fostering more equitable access to opportunities. This partnership with the New York Giants and New York Jets – that is raising awareness and funds for the New York City Police Foundation’s Far Rockaway Giants and Harlem Giants, and Year Up New York | New Jersey – enables the company to live its purpose and build more confident futures for all.

The “Inside the Huddle” auctions will be open through GivingTuesday, November 29, 2022. To bid on Giants items, visit www.giants.com/metlife. To bid on Jets items, visit www.nyjets.com/metlife. All proceeds from the auctions will go directly to Year Up and New York City Police Foundation’s Far Rockaway Giants and Harlem Giants.