Looks like an eye opener (ESPN feature on homelessness - C Long/W Hayes)

[OldSchool]

He was on the Van Pelt and Rasillo show again today talking about this. Even discussed at one point an office exec walked by them and didn't recognize them and they also went up to the ticket office and asked to buy season tickets and the gal didn't recognize them either. They were apparently going to go longer with their undercover adventure but were recognized on the 2nd day and a guy wouldn't stop following them so they cut it off.

Chris really went out of his way during this interview today to talk up Hayes and how it's him that is really leading this push and he even said at one point "like all of Wills ideas good or bad I follow along with him". The whole DLine has kind of adopted this shelter as their charity of choice and last year donated so much to it the shelter was able to open a special wing/shelter for children. These two in my book are great people.

 

[Stranger]

The whole DLine has kind of adopted this shelter as their charity of choice and last year donated so much to it the shelter was able to open a special wing/shelter for children. These two in my book are great people.

Wow wow wow.

That's so awesome!

 

[RamBill]

SC Featured goes undercover into homeless community with St. Louis Rams
by Andy Hall

http://www.espnfrontrow.com/2015/05...r-into-homeless-community-with-st-louis-rams/

In Sunday’s editions of SportsCenter, the weekly SC Featured segment will follow two St. Louis Rams players as they go undercover for 24 hours to learn more about the plight of the homeless.


The players, William Hayes and Chris Long, wore makeup to help hide their identities and were dressed in second-hand clothes. They had small button cameras on their clothing and were wired for sound as they were followed by the ESPN crew.

Co-producers Gustavo Coletti and Steve Buckheit from the ESPN Features Unit learned of their assignment on a Friday night in March and were quickly on their way to St. Louis to start shooting on Sunday night.

“Within 36 hours, we had to put together a team,” said Coletti.

The challenge for us was that this was a little bit out of our element.
– Steve Buckheit

“The challenge for us was that this was a little bit out of our element,” said Buckheit. “We needed someone who knew how to spy on someone at night, be sort of a fly on the wall, and not intrude on what we wanted to remain a very organic experiment. We got consultation of a private investigator for that.”

Coletti said equipment such as night vision lenses was needed. “There were a lot of quick decisions and quick research,” he said.

Working with ESPN Global Security, Coletti and Buckheit hired some off-duty police officers to work with them, one of whom was also disguised and stayed with the players, and others who stayed with the ESPN crew. They also communicated with local police so that law enforcement was aware of what was going on and would not be suspicious.

“At no point did we feel unsafe,” Coletti said.

Although they were never recognized as Rams, an issue did arise after the first night when the players began to express concern that some in the tight-knit homeless community might think they were undercover police officers. For their own safety, they decided to stop the experiment after one of two planned days.

“We still feel like we captured the essence of their wide-eyed experience of being homeless,” said Buckheit. “I was very relieved at how genuine our two principles came across. There was no agenda; they were very genuine in everything they did. I feel it was mission accomplished.”

“Life on the Streets” debuts in the 10 a.m. ET SportsCenter on Sunday, May 31, and will air in other editions of the program throughout the day. A companion piece on ESPN.com will also be posted Sunday.

 

[Stranger]

Although they were never recognized as Rams, an issue did arise after the first night when the players began to express concern that some in the tight-knit homeless community might think they were undercover police officers

that's actually a very good point. it was probably wise to call it off.

 

[Dxmissile]

I don't know if this was posted already and sorry in advance if it were. But center is doing a special on CL AND WH. They spend a day undercover as homeless men. Will air Sunday at 8.

 

[12intheBox]

I'm looking forward to it. These kinds of things are usually pretty sobering.

 

[TheDYVKX]

Unless I'm mistaken, it's on in 15 minutes on SportsCenter, if you wanted to tune in.

 

[TheDYVKX]

Alright, I lied before. But it's on next.

 

[OldSchool]

It will be on throughout the day from what I read. If you'd rather here's a link to it on the ESPN page.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...is-long-william-hayes-experience-homelessness

Good stuff from my favorite Ram and his best friend.

 

[LesBaker]

he's moving up my list as well...I always admired his motor...Now he's got my attention to see what he'll do next...Solid guy...Looks like a future NFL HC.

I'm with you. SJackson as you have heard me say many times must make his parents really proud when they see what he says and does but CLong makes Howie swell with pride too I bet.

In recent memory these are my two favorite guys. People can say they aren't that good for where they got drafted or not worth what they get paid, but a team full of dudes like this would win loads of games and make you feel good as a fan.

 

[Mackeyser]

This combines two of my interests: sports and social policy.

Problem is that politics is the gamesmanship of policy. Thus, it has become pornography for polite society, a contentious matter and makes it all too easy to focus on the politics rather than the policy.

Which is a shame because for the most part as a people we agree on most policies. We agree we should drink clean water that you can't set on fire, your house should be safe enough to live in, the hungry should be fed and a whole host of others.

I hate politics, but I really enjoy policy. Policy helps us understand the problem, connect with the people affected by the problem and hopefully solve the problem. Politics does exactly the opposite.

I'm really looking forward to watching this. The wife and I used to donate to a Women's shelter and when we talked with them about what they needed and why, oh my, did it open our eyes to a whole bunch of other connecting issues we'd never thought of. I hope this special does this with respect to homelessness. It's a complicated and often heart-wrenching tangle of issues which seem like a Gordian Knot to solve just to get the person stable and back at a basic functioning level.

I hope the special contributed positively to the conversation. From the previews, it looks like it should.

 

[Mackeyser]

I don't see it on again today, but maybe the FiOS guide is missing it. Can anyone post the next time it's going to be on and which channel name?

 

[RamBill]

Get a behind-the-scenes look at Chris Long & William Hayes’ project as they spend 24 hours on the streets of St. Louis.

View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Home/62619e6b-b6d9-4b06-a943-e7bee8e43c2d

 

[Mackeyser]

Wow... And that was just one night...without snow...

Only makes me want to taze the guys who beat up homeless people or pay the homeless to fight each other that much more.

Or maybe waterboarding...

 

[Memphis Ram]

This may be a bit off, but I can't recall ever seeing a homeless person who was the size/shape of an NFL DLineman. That would have set off alarm bells for me right off.

 

[hotanez]

Will this be on later today? I would love to watch this with my daughter.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I think this might be it. I haven't watched yet.

View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Home/62619e6b-b6d9-4b06-a943-e7bee8e43c2d

 

[Cardncub]

Huge props to Long & Hayes for doing this. Much respect in my book.

 

[RamBill]

Some thoughts on William Hayes and Chris Long's homeless experience
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...iam-hayes-and-chris-longs-homeless-experience


EARTH CITY, Mo. -- For those that might have missed on it Sunday, this week's SportsCenter Featured special centered on St. Louis Rams defensive ends William Hayes and Chris Long's 24-hour homeless experience.

Before reading much further, it's worth watching the video and reading ESPN Senior Writer Liz Merrill's piece. To go with that, it's also worth seeing a little further on the team's official website where they've posted a video and more explanation of the genesis of Hayes and Long's night on the streets.

Long and Hayes have both taken opportunities to explain why they wanted to do the project and the clear focus was on raising awareness about a cause they both value. The piece spurred plenty of thoughts and emotions on social media. I had no shortage of my own.

Here's a few takeaways from watching:

Believe it or not (OK, it's easy to believe), there were those on social media who found ways to complain about what Long and Hayes did. The argument, such as it was, was that spending one night on the street is nothing compared to what our country's homeless go through every day and night of their lives. That's undoubtedly true. It also misses the point. Long and Hayes never once have said that one night on the streets is enough to really grasp what the homeless endure. Others also argued that if it was a selfless endeavor then why would they have done it for television? Again, that's a nonsensical argument. Hayes initially didn't want to do the television segment but realized that it was a chance to call attention to a cause that's close to him. And that really gets to the heart of why Long and Hayes did what they did. Hayes has been active with the St. Patrick's Center here in St. Louis for the past year and routinely goes there to spend time with the people who have made their way off the streets. As Merrill's story mentions, Hayes has taken teenagers from the St. Patrick's Center to the movies on multiple occasions, among other regular visits."We don't understand," Long told Merrill. "We weren't hoping to understand. We were just hoping to gain a little perspective and put kind of a feeling with the cause that we had been [donating to] from a distance the last couple of years."

It's worth noting that this is far from a one-off. After Rams coach Jeff Fisher took over in 2012, assistant head coach Dave McGinnis and defensive line coach Mike Waufle got involved in reviving the team's "Sack Homelessness" program. That program had previously been in place but had been stalled for a few years. Upon its return, the Rams pledged $1,000 for every sack they'd rack up in a given season. In the time since, the Rams have the second-most sacks in the league with 145. That's good for $145,000 right there but there have been extra dollars given here and there that actually push the total to closer to $150,000. So obviously, they aren't just donating time but money to the project.

Hayes and Long have a reputation for their comedic antics in the Rams locker room and that's a deserved reputation. The whole defensive line group is consistently one of the most interesting, eclectic and, yes, funny, on the team. But it's also a group that takes football and philanthropy very seriously. Long just launched a campaign to help provide clean water in East Africa and Hayes has been devoted to helping the homeless for most of his time in St. Louis. The entire Rams organization is as active or more active than any sports franchise you'll find in any city, anywhere.

Which is a truth that brought me to a different thought after digesting what I watched on Sunday morning. These are tense times in St. Louis for many reasons far more important than just the future of the local football team. But the reality is that there's a very real chance that the Rams won't be in St. Louis beyond 2016. That's a shame for football fans here (just as it was for those in Los Angeles when that city lost the Rams) but it very well could be a bigger loss for a community that needs as many Chris Longs and William Hayes' as it can get. The NFL is expected to release a market study soon that will focus on the fans here and their willingness to buy Personal Seat Licenses and whether local businesses are willing to bring money to the table for suites and sponsorships. What it won't include is the value of having a professional sports franchise ready and willing to help those in need in their city. The bottom line and business is always going to win out. I get that and I'm not saying Los Angeles couldn't use the good works of a pro football team. But while there might be no way to put a price tag or value on something like helping a couple of homeless people get back on their feet, as the NFL examines the future of the teams in their current markets, perhaps maybe they should.

 

[-X-]

http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLc...ver-Homeless-Experience-on-The-Press-Box.aspx

Rams defensive ends William Hayes and Chris Long on Sunday were featured in an ESPN story as they went undercover to experience life among the homeless, bringing awareness to an issue that impacts over 570,000 people in the United States.

Hayes joined The Hollywood Casino Press Box on Monday to talk about his experience. We've typed out the notable excerpts below the full interview, which you can listen to here:

[av]http://www.insidestlaudio.com/Pressbox/060115-Hayes.mp3[/av]

We've also embedded ESPN's story underneath the text.

What made you passionate about the cause of homeless awareness?

"I'm really passionate about kids. I've been in situations where I've seen a lot of children who were homeless. I always told myself If I was able to get to a platform where people can see me as a role model...I was going to try to do something positive within the community. And I felt this was a great avenue to go."

How long did you and Long go undercover and what was the most attention-grabbing thing you experienced?

"We did it for a day and a half. I had two different scenarios. We were walking up the street and about to go to a homeless shelter and we started getting harrassed by a cop. That's when I realized I was in a different type of light. Where I'm not getting seen as a football player. Generally a cop is really nice towards me and stuff. I feel like they would've seen me as William Hayes and Chris as Chris Long, we would've never been put in that situation. That was the first thing that really stuck out."

"The second thing...just going to the homeless shelter and seeing all these kids...and knowing at the end of the day these kids have nowhere to go. You just listen to conversations...real conversations...People (talking about what they're going to do for the night). It's just real. There was a kid and his mom and her mom is probably sleeping in a building one night. I got three kids...I can't even imagine my kids not having somewhere to sleep at night."

You learned some homeless can be quite territorial, correct?

"Oh yeah. We were at White Castle, asking a guy where some good places to go to...(We told him we were going to the bridge). And when we said that, we saw him start texting somebody. Me and Chris and our security guy are trying to warm up and stuff...and about 10 minutes later I see him looking at us, then talk to a group of guys, then we felt (stuff was getting kind of shady). I think that's when our covers got blown. We didn't feel comfortable any more."

Have you gotten any reaction from your teammates yet?

"I'm actually going (back to St. Louis) today. We have our (reporting day for OTAs) tomorrow. But I got a lot of texts. People telling me it was a powerful piece. I felt like it turned out really good."


View: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:12970101