Sean Payton Purchases 100 Devon Still Jerseys to Support Cancer Research

In what's been one of the worst sports weeks for some time, Sean Payton provided a welcome reprieve. The New Orleans Saints head coach purchased 100 Devon Still jerseys, the proceeds of which go to pediatric cancer research, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com:

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Payton was moved by the story after he heard about it on the radio during his drive home on Tuesday night, according to a source, and he decided to purchase the jerseys out of his own pocket.

According to Bengals director of sales and public affairs Jeff Berding, Still's jersey sold more in the first 24 hours of the donation drive than any other Bengals player's jersey ever has in a single day.

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"As a parent, myself…I couldn't help to think about the situation he was in," said Payton, per John DeShazier of NewOrleansSaints.com. "What I did was just a small token to a very worthwhile cause. I wish them nothing but the best, and am hoping that his daughter will make a full recovery."

Still and the Cincinnati Bengals offered their thanks on Twitter to Payton and the Saints organization:

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com called it a "class act":

To those who forget, Still's four-year-old daughter, Leah, was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. According to Paul Dehner Jr. of USA Today, her chances of living are a little more than 50 percent.

The Bengals kept Still on the practice squad so he'd continue to have medical coverage for he and his family, in addition to having more time to spend with his daughter. Cincinnati then announced that money from his jersey sales would be donated to help fund cancer research.

The former second-round pick spoke to Fox 19 in Cincinnati about the positive reaction he's received from fans and others:

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Surprised and grateful are the words I would use. I didn't expect so many people to support this. I think it's huge for pediatric cancer that everybody is bringing awareness to this. It just shows how much the world of sports has an impact on what's going on in this world.

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Still received some more good news earlier in the week when the Bengals added him to the 53-man active roster. Cincinnati welcomes in the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Although you wish that it could've come under different circumstances, Still's story has helped to raise thousands of dollars and quite a bit of awareness for pediatric cancer research.