JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With a day off from OTA's, some members of the Jaguars enjoyed 18 holes of golf while giving back to the community at the 2016 Jaguars Foundation Golf Tournament on Wednesday morning.
Head coach Gus Bradley, General Manager Dave Caldwell as well as players like quarterback Blake Bortles and defensive lineman Sen'Derrick Marks were on hand at Jacksonville Golf and Country Club for the annual tournament. Marks, an avid golfer, said that he would have been here anyway on his day off, but to be able to give back is what it is all about.
"As someone who people may recognize in the community, it's always good to get out and give back to people, letting them know you care. Especially if you have that platform, I think you should."
One Jaguar player or coach was included in each of the 24 foursomes, however one foursome bid enough to have former Jaguar running back and member of the Pride of the Jaguars, Fred Taylor play with them.
"I've been working on my game," Taylor said. "Not enough, but I've been working on it."
Unlike some other charity golf tournaments, the Jaguars Foundation tournament touts that 100% of the profits from Wednesday's golf goes directly to charities in the Foundation.
"The mindset has always been giving back," said Taylor before his round. "We have been blessed tremendously to do something we love and it's a better feeling to give back. The Jaguars have done a lot for me, they have given me an opportunity to use their platform in life, so any chance that I can do something for them or with them, I make sure I'm there."
The Jaguars Foundation gives out more than $1 million annually to charities in the areas of military and veteran support, college scholarships, as well as several youth programs throughout the Greater Jacksonville area.
In addition to monetary support, the Jaguars Foundation provides more than 11,000 charitable tickets each season, with a value of over $450,000. These tickets are allocated to Honor Rows programs and other charitable organizations.