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KC Chiefs Player Celebrates Super Bowl Win By Paying All Shelter Dog Fees

By Christy True
published: February 7, 2020 - updated: July 13, 2023 • 1 min. read
Dog in a cage

To celebrate a Super Bowl win, some players might drink champagne, go to Disney World or buy themselves a fancy car.

When the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl last weekend, Derrick Nnadi, a defensive tackle, did something that will bring joy to more than 100 dogs and people instead. He announced he had paid the adoption fees for any dog that came into the KC Pet Project shelter before Feb. 2 – the day of the big game.

With adoption fees running about $150 a dog, that was a big incentive for those who were thinking about adding a dog to their family.

Nnadi had been working with the shelter for some time, and the kind-hearted gesture was just the latest show of animal love from the 23-year-old giant of a man.

“We have had an amazing, season-long, partnership with Derrick and he couldn’t have thought of a better ending,” KC Pet Project posted on their Facebook page.

Tweet from Ellen DeGeneres

Just one day after Nnadi made his magnanimous offer, more than half of the dogs had been adopted, according to the shelter.

Tweet from KC Pet Project

And his great deed spawned another: Rachel Ray, a celebrity chef who has a line of dog food called Nutrish, said on Twitter she would donate a year’s worth of food to all the dogs that are adopted.

Rachel Ray tweet

Nnadi appears to be an all-around good guy as he does a lot to help children too. His foundation assists disadvantaged families and children and he’s raised money for the Boys and Girls Club and Ronald McDonald houses.

Learn more about KC Pet Project here.

Christy True and Tomas
By Christy True

Christy has been writing about pets for Healthy Paws for 28 dog years. She also coordinates media requests and manages the Healthy Paws Foundation. A background in journalism may be why she enjoys writing about offbeat animal studies and the latest viral pet trends. She has been owned by several dogs, and she volunteers with a local dog rescue. Outside of work, she can usually be found sliding down a mountain near her home in Bend, Ore.

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