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San Diego Chargers’ John Parrella earns NFL.com All-Heart Player of the Week Award For His Courageous Performance Sunday vs. St. Louis
All-Heart Honor Lands John Parrella on NFL Cholesterol Screen
Team &
Earns Free Cholesterol Screenings For 250 Fans In San Diego
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 5, 2000–San Diego Chargers defensive tackle John Parrella has been named NFL.com All-Heart Player of the Week for his courageous role in the Chargers Week 5 loss to St.Louis. Parrella finished more than 300 votes ahead of New England QB Drew Bledsoe in fan voting on NFL.com. Parrella is the first Charger to win the award.
As the NFL.com All-Heart Player of the Week, Parrella joins Joe Montana and Bill Parcells on the NFL Cholesterol Screen Team, a program initiated by the NFL and the American College of Cardiology (ACC), in partnership with Merck & Co., Inc., to alert NFL fans to the dangers of high cholesterol and heart disease. To recognize Parrella’s ‘all-heart’ performance, the NFL, ACC and Merck will provide 250 free cholesterol screenings to a local hospital in San Diego, as a service to NFL fans living in the Southern California. High cholesterol is one of the leading risk factors for heart disease, the number one killer of men and women in the United States.
Despite San Diego’s loss to St. Louis on Sunday, Parrella displayed the heart and desire of a champion. Parrella’s father died recently and despite the tragedy, Parrella played in the game. Parrella flew home after the game to attend his father’s funeral on Tuesday.
The NFL.com All-Heart Player of the Week Award is the only weekly award sanctioned by the NFL that is voted on by the fans. The award is presented each Thursday to the NFL player who displays the most ‘heart’ during the previous weekend’s games. Fans who vote at NFL.com each week between Tuesday and Thursday are automatically entered into a sweepstakes that will send one lucky winner and a guest to Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa, Florida. Twenty-five second-prize winners will be awarded a Hall of Fame edition football autographed by Montana. The sweepstakes ends Dec. 28, 2000. No purchase necessary. Must be 18 or older to enter. See www.NFL.com for official rules. Void where prohibited.
For a list of this week’s nominees and the results of fan voting, please visit NFL.com. For more information on the NFL Cholesterol Screen Team and the risk factors for heart disease, fans can call 1-877-NFL-9004.
2000 NFL.com All-Heart Player of the Week -- Weekly Winners
Week Player Team Notes
1 Duce Staley, RB Philadelphia 201 rush, 61 rec., 110 degree
heat
2 Mike Anderson, RB Denver
131 rush, 2 TDs, first
career start
3 Brian Griese, QB Denver
213 yards
passing, 2TD’s, sprained right shoulder
4 Curtis Martin, RB
New York Jets
Threw winning touchdown pass with 52 seconds
remaining in game.
5 John Parrella, DT
San Diego
Played despite father's
unfortunate death recently.