CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former Carolina Panthers and current Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams gave back to the Charlotte community in a major way.
Williams is an advocate for breast cancer awareness after losing his mother, Sandra Hill, to the disease in May 2014 when he was a member of the Carolina Panthers.
He asked the NFL for permission to wear pink throughout the season, not just during the month of October, to honor his mother, but was told no by NFL vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, ESPN reported.
Williams told ESPN on Monday night that Vincent told him there are no exceptions to the uniform policy.
Instead, Williams has dyed the tips of his hair pink.
Despite the setback, Williams partnered with Charlotte Radiology last December to pay for the mammograms of 53 women – in honor of his mother’s age when she died -- at a hospital in Charlotte. One of the women tested was diagnosed with cancer after Channel 9 reached out to Charlotte Radiology.
Williams posted this to his Facebook page:
"Charlotte Radiology & my foundation partnered to provide 53 mammograms for low income or under-insured women, which we called "53 Strong for Sandra" in memory of the 53 years my Mom lived. #MammogramsSavesLives."
His foundation has reached out to Charlotte Radiology to talk about potentially doing the campaign again, in the off season for Charlotte and Pittsburgh, but, there is nothing formally scheduled.
Williams played nine seasons for the Panthers before being released earlier this year.
He is the Panthers' all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns but played in just six games in 2014 and produced a career-low 219 rushing yards and no touchdowns.
Williams, the Panthers' first-round draft choice in 2006 out of Memphis, totaled 6,846 rushing yards on 1,432 carries and 46 rushing touchdowns in nine seasons with Carolina.
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