NFL Legends Bo Jackson and Demarcus Ware Go Head-to-Head For Charity With Whiskey In One Hand and BBQ In The Other

During the Southern Smoke Festival, Bo Jackson and DeMarcus Ware hosted a cookoff challenge featuring Crown Royal infused BBQ sauce to raise money for the foundation.

The NFL and Crown Royal have partnered up again this year with the “Kick off with Crown Royal” campaign.

$25,000 from the Crown Royal Generosity Fund will be donated to the Southern Smoke Foundation. The Southern Smoke Foundation is an organization dedicated to helping those who work in the food and beverage industry.

The donation is just a small part of the whiskey brand’s million-dollar commitment to support groups such as hospitality workers, active-duty military members, and veterans throughout the NFL season.

“We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with Crown Royal as we aim to inspire generosity towards the people who make gameday what it is—the bartenders, servers, dishwashers, and more who help us enjoy each and every NFL gameday,” said Kathryn Lott, Executive Director of Southern Smoke Foundation. “As we continue in our mission of helping our own, the food and beverage industry, we’re thankful to Crown Royal for their ongoing support of our efforts.”

Crown Royal and DeMarcus Ware celebrated the hospitality community who generously serve our communities during the Southern Smoke Festival on Sunday, October 23rd.

However, this year in a fun twist, NFL greats Bo Jackson and DeMarcus Ware competed in a cook-off at the Southern Smoke Festival- a first for the Crown Royal partnership. Jackson and Ware created two Crown Royal-infused BBQ sauces with help from Houston restaurateurs, then put their creations to the test in a competition.

Team Bo Jackson took an early lead before narrowly losing to team DeMarcus Ware. Consumers voted for their favorite sauce, with all proceeds going to the Foundation.

“We’re proud to continue to give back to the hospitality community, and extend our partnership with the Southern Smoke Foundation, who shares in our mission of helping those who help us celebrate gameday,” said Nicky Heckles, Vice President of Crown Royal. “This season, we’re excited to further our relationship with Houston and the greater-Texas community by giving back directly to the hospitality industry with Bo Jackson and DeMarcus Ware.”

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