Nike quelled a lot of people’s fears of drastic redesigns when the sports apparel giant revealed little, if any, changes to almost every NFL team’s uniform Tuesday. And while Nike’s flywire design is one change that many teams have implemented on the outside of their collars, the Panthers are adopting a more meaningful change to the inside of theirs.
Stitched inside of each player’s collar is the message “KEEP POUNDING,” which is a tribute to former linebackers Sam Mills and Mark Fields. Both men were diagnosed with cancer in 2003, when Mills was an assistant coach and Fields a player. The phrase comes from an inspirational speech Mills made during the Panthers’ playoff run to Super Bowl XXXVIII that season.
“When I found out I had cancer, there were two things I could do — quit or keep pounding,” Mills told the Panthers before a win over the Cowboys, per Pro Football Talk. “I’m a fighter. I kept pounding. You’re fighters, too. Keep pounding.”
Together, Mills and Fields helped initiate the Carolinas HealthCare Foundation’s Keep Pounding Fund, which benefits cancer research, in 2004. Mills succumbed to the disease in 2005.
This is a tremendous gesture by the Panthers. There’s not many players remaining from the Panthers’ Super Bowl roster. That every player will now be given a reminder of Mills’ uplifting message is terrific.
Photo via @Panthers
