Chris Spielman selling his memorabilia to help those affected by COVID-19

[Roary]

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Former NFL linebacker Chris Spielman is giving back in a big way.

Spielman has been selling some of his most prized possessions, with all of the money he raises going to people who have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Initially, Spielman asked listeners to his podcast to contact him if they or people they knew needed financial assistance, which he was willing to handle out of his own pocket. The response was overwhelming, and Spielman quickly realized there were more people needing assistance than he could afford to help.

So Spielman decided to sell much of his football memorabilia, with all of the money going to people who have fallen on hard times because of the pandemic and the millions of job losses that have come with it.

“Obviously there’s people struggling. We just had a jobs report come out, 6 million people lost their jobs, so obviously there’s some financial need out there,” Spielman told the Lions’ website. “I thought if I start selling my memorabilia, we could raise more money and start helping more people.”

The biggest-ticket item Spielman has sold so far was the 1984 Big Ten championship ring he won at Ohio State. That fetched $12,000, which Spielman will give away — and the ring will still be an heirloom for Spielman’s family some day, as the man who purchased it told Spielman he’ll leave it to the Spielmans in his will.

Spielman is regularly updating his Twitter with links to new items he’s selling, which will make great pieces for a football fan’s collection, and a great deal of help for people who need it.