Rams TE Allen believes in Tunnel to Towers

Woodland Hills, CA (News 4Us Online) – Hero. Patriot. Warrior. Lionheart. If you ever wanted to know what true patriotism looks like you should take a page from the playbook of Stephen Siller. 

Siller embodied the bold and the brave motto when he paid the ultimate price and sacrificed his life to save others during the burning chaos of the 9/11 tragedy. 

You don’t forget someone like Siller. A New York firefighter, Siller perished trying to rescue folks trapped inside the tragic Twin Towers of the World Trade Center that went down in ashes in the wake of the unforgettable terrorist attacks that shook the nation 24 years ago. Siller is the reason why the Tunnel to Towers Foundation exists today.

In life and in his passing, Siller gave. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is an organization that has taken up the giving mantle for Siller. First responders and military members whose everyday acts of courage and bravery allow Americans to enjoy the freedoms they have, are beneficiaries of charitable generosity bestowed on them by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. 

These acts of kindness include gifting military members and first responders with mortgage-free homes and supplying housing assistance to veterans and their families. Los Angeles Rams tight end Davis Allen believes in the mission of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. 

So much so that Allen has made the Tunnel to Towers Foundation his charity of choice to support as the Rams and other NFL players get behind the philanthropic-driven My Cause My Cleats program. 

“I partnered with Tunnel to Towers. It’s a foundation that I started giving money to in college,” Allen said. “I really respect and appreciate what they do and who they help. And it’s just kind of always been near and dear to my heart for some reason. That’s just one foundation that I’ve always tried to help or to at least give to every year.”    

The family tree of playing football and giving back run back a generation for Allen. Allen’s father, John Allen, played football at Georgia. It was his father who suggested that Davis partner up with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. 

“My dad did the same thing. I have a brother that was in the military. He recently got out, so that kind of was a little connection as well,” remarked Davis Allen. “I’ve just always had an interest in that kind of thing. I think I’ve always had a different life.”

As Allen touts the charity of his choice, he is far from being the only player on the Rams to get behind My Cause My Cleats. As a team, the Rams have at least 50 players and coaches to announce and publicly support various organizations. 

Allen said the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats program is a great platform to shine a spotlight on the wide variety of causes.   

“I think it’s awesome,” Allen said. “To be able to use our platform to bring awareness to…some of these organizations, they’re big; but to bring awareness to some that might not be as big or just maybe someone has never heard of Tunnel to Towers, you know. I can use this opportunity to, you know, maybe somebody is sitting at home watching TV and they be like, ‘I wonder what that is.’ And they look into it and maybe they have an interest in it. So, I think it’s cool how we can use our platform to bring awareness.”

When it comes to awareness, Allen is beginning to standout himself on a team stacked with talented tight ends. Allen, Tyler Higbee, rookie Terrance Ferguson, and Colby Parkinson gives the Rams perhaps the deepest tight end room in the NFL. 

This season, Allen’s third in the league, is a reflection of his growth as a pass-catcher. Through the team’s first 11 games, Allen has already reached career-highs in season receptions and touchdowns for the NFC leading Rams. 

Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur likes the direction Allen’s development has taken him. 

“It’s been good,” LaFleur said after a team practice. “He came in as a mature rookie and did some things, particularly in that back half of the year. You think about the screen that he caught versus Baltimore for a touchdown. Awesome ‘Stick China’ [route type] that he caught versus Detroit in the playoff game amongst other things. That was his rookie year, so his development has only continued. He’s only gotten more and more comfortable. He’s a good player, better person.”

As he grinds out his practice routines and gameday performances, Allen remains a steady voice for the veterans and first responders who are in need of assistance. Tunnel to Towers Foundation serves that purpose, he said.  

“I would love for people to know how they help people that are really in need, especially the families, when they lose loved ones, what they do and how they provide for them financially, where they put them up in new homes, paying off their mortgage, whatever it might be, ” Allen said. “And there are a lot of families that are hurting.”