New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis won an appeal over a $7,000 fine from the NFL for wearing a religious headband and said he would give the fine money to a hospital in his home state of Mississippi.
Davis was fined for wearing a headband that read, “Man of God” during a Sept. 22 game against the Seahawks in Seattle.
Davis said he wore the headband the first three games, and he thought he might have been fined after the third game after he was in the spotlight for leading the Saints pregame chant in the absence of quarterback Drew Brees.
Before Davis’ appeal was approved, he wanted to turn the situation into a positive, so he decided to start selling the headbands with 100 percent of the “Man of God” and “Woman of God” proceeds donated to St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, Miss. The headbands, priced at $25 apiece, have raised more than $30,000 for the hospital, according to Davis.
“We’ve been able to turn it into a positive and use it to raise funds for a hospital that’s trying to rebuild this emergency room. And just to have the support of the community — and pretty much nationwide — it’s been amazing,” Davis said, according to ESPN. “And then on top of that, being blessed to win the appeal and be able to take those funds that I was already counting as a loss and further contribute to the cause, it’s just a major blessing. And I don’t take it for granted.” – READ MORE