NFL Players Score On Two New Albums

After hearing them singing on one of their two new CD's, NFL Jams and NFL Country, you may never look at NFL players the same way again. Players such as San Diego Chargers' Ryan Leaf, Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning, San Francisco Forty Niners' Jerry Rice, New York Giants' players Danny Kanell and Howard Cross are just some of the players who lent their pipes for a good cause.

The NFL, as part of their 25th anniversary celebration of their relationship with the United Way, will donate a portion of CD sales proceeds to the United Way.

Donations will also be made to various charities sponsored by Players, Inc., the marketing and licensing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.

The albums were released by the eMusic label, a division of the sports-related music company EnVisage Multimedia. CEO of EnVisage Multimedia, Rick Garson shared his motivation behind the project, "All entertainers want to be athletes and all athletes wants to be entertainers. The sports business is no longer just about sports, its an entertainment business, its not just in the confines of the stadiums anymore."

No strangers to teamwork, the players had support for their vocal efforts. Some of the hottest acts in Hip-Hop, R&B and Country music lent their musical talents and expertise on the original tracks. Artists and music groups Isaac Hayes, Randy Travis, Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight, Next, Foxy Brown, Escape, Faith Evans, Steve Wariner and Bryan White were just a few performers who donated their time and vocals on the albums.

Grammy Award winning recording artist Isaac Hayes said that it was the charitable aspect of the project that sealed the deal for him. "I wanted to help out United Way. Entertainers and professional athletes are the opinion leaders in today's world and people listen to what we have to say. It's so important we send out the right message. Charitable work does not take much effort and a little bit goes a long way."

Similar reasons inspired New York Giants' TE Howard Cross decision to sing on the NFL Country album. "While interning at the NFL offices over the summer, I would occasionally sing while I was working. Constance Schwartz, Senior Manager of Entertainment Events at the NFL, asked me if I sang a lot. I told her that I only sang in the shower. Then, Constance called me into a meeting at the NFL about a music project to benefit the United Way. As soon as I heard it would help the United Way, I signed on. I figured I would risk embarrassment for charity."

Other players who can be heard carrying a tune on the albums include, Kansas City Chiefs' Andre Rison, New Orleans Saints' Kerry Collins, New York Giants' Michael Strahan, Minnesota Vikings' Brad Johnson and San Francisco Forty Niners' Garrison Hearst.

As a bonus track on NFL Jams and NFL Country, you'll find the NFL Anthem song "We're All In This Together". This recording features over 25 NFL players and numerous entertainers across all music genres. It is an inspirational song about teamwork, giving life your all, and making your dreams a reality. The video footage from the song will be used as an NFL Public Service Announcement.

Recordings from the albums along with footage of behind the scenes footage will be aired during network NFL pre-game TV broadcasts, run on stadium jumbotrons and played on all music video cable networks. So, the next time you are at and NFL game, and think you see one of your favorite players singing on the stadium jumbotron, don't think you need glasses, and don't be too critical, it's for a good cause.