6 NFL Players Who Score Big for Animals

Did you think that football players were just tough guys who toss around a ball and sometimes each other? Oh, how wrong you are. Under those bulging muscles lie hearts of gold. Just ask these guys:

Terrell Suggs

The 49ers can attest to this reigning Super Bowl champ’s fierce competitiveness, but ferocity has no place in Terrell Suggs’ wardrobe: The Ravens linebacker has denounced the fur industry, calling it “cruel and evil.”

Tony Gonzalez

Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, a 13-time Pro Bowl veteran who often touts the benefits of vegan foods, stripped down for PETA alongside his lovely wife, October, to take a stand against fur.

Willis McGahee

Also taking a stand against fur is free-agent running back Willis McGahee, who believes that it’s “not right” to “electrocute an animal just for its fur.”

Bret Lockett

Bret Lockett tackles cruelty to animals with as much drive as he tackles quarterbacks. “What really hurt me was when I saw that an animal was still able to move and lift its head up after it was completely skinned,” he says. “It brought tears to my eyes.”

Lance Briggs

Playing in the Windy City, veteran Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs knows how miserable cold weather can be, which is why dogs don’t belong outside in the wintertime, as he makes clear in his ad for PETA.

Glenn Dorsey

Also speaking up for cold dogs is 49ers defensive end Glenn Dorsey, who posed for his PETA ad with his dog, Bugsy, of whom he says, “Bugs don’t care if we win or lose—he’s still gonna love me.”

So sit back in your recliner with the remote in one hand and a plate of Gardein Buffalo wings in the other and listen to Sexiest Vegetarian alum Carrie Underwood sing the Sunday Night Football theme song with a clear conscience. You’re not wasting the whole day planted in front of the TV—you’re cheering on animal heroes!