The NFL, its players and fans will take time to remember the courage and resilience that followed the events of September 11, 2001 with special tributes in stadium, on field and on television during all games on Sunday, September 11.
The first Sunday of the NFL regular season falls on the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001.
The games and broadcasts on that opening Sunday will unite fans to recognize those who lost their lives, honor the families who lost loved ones, and salute the American spirit, the early responders on 9/11, and other heroes that contributed to the nation's recovery.
The schedule of games for that day was designed to appropriately commemorate 9/11 on a national level and what it represents to Americans.
» Eight games will kick off at 1 p.m. ET, including the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are based approximately 80 miles from Shanksville, PA (CBS). » The 4:15 p.m. ET window of four games includes FOX's telecast of the Washington Redskins hosting the New York Giants.
» To conclude the day, the Dallas Cowboys visit the New York Jets on NBC's Sunday Night Football.
The NFL will unite fans on that day by synching the pregame salutes during the Sunday afternoon CBS and FOX telecasts, followed by a special Sunday night presentation from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on NBC. The special pregame events that will be televised nationally also will be shown on videoboards in each of the stadiums hosting games that day.
All games in each of the broadcast windows (1 p.m., 4:15 p.m. and Sunday Night Football) will feature a special video introduction followed by performances of "Taps" from near the sites of the attacks, and moments of silence. For the 1 p.m. games, "Taps" will be performed in Shanksville, PA while the 4:15 p.m. games will feature a rendition from Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. The Sunday night game will include a performance from Hoboken, N.J., looking across the Hudson River to Ground Zero. Coaches, players and local first responders and other heroes will come together to hold field-length American flags for the playing of the National Anthem prior to each game.
Players, coaches and sideline personnel will wear a special NFL 9/11 ribbon as a patch or pin on their uniforms and sideline apparel. All stadiums hosting games on September 11 will feature the ribbon logo on the field. It was announced on Tuesday that the National Football League and the NFL Players Association that it will contribute $1 million to three memorials and two charities related to the events of September 11, 2001.
The NFL and NFLPA will contribute $500,000 to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial in Lower Manhattan, and $250,000 to be divided between the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA and the Pentagon Memorial Fund in Washington, D.C.
In addition, the NFL and NFLPA will donate all proceeds from the sale of auction items from games played on Sunday, September 11. These items, which fans can bid on at www.NFL.com/Auction, will include game-worn autographed player jerseys, coaches and player hats, and commemorative game coins used during those games.
NFL Auction proceeds will be divided equally between Tuesday's Children and MyGoodDeed. Tuesday's Children is a leading organization providing support and services to those who lost a loved one on 9/11, as well as to rescue and recovery workers who responded to the events. As the principle organizer of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, MyGoodDeed is providing a positive, forward-looking way for Americans to honor and remember 9/11 victims, survivors, and first-responders.
NFL Auction proceeds from 9/11/11 are expected to total at least $250,000. Including the $750,000 in charitable donations to the national 9/11 memorials, total NFL-NFLPA donations will reach $1 million.
This marks the second time September 11 has fallen on the first Sunday of the NFL season since 2001. The fourth anniversary of September 11 in 2005 also was on a Sunday.
