A man who once carried the ball for 197 touchdowns is the now carrying the ball for the chiropractic profession.
The legendary Jerry Rice, one of the National Football League's (NFL) greatest players and wide receivers, has been enlisted by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress to speak out on his use and support of chiropractors.
An advertising campaign featuring Jerry Rice kicked off in the December 15th issue of ESPN The Magazine, with a national circulation of over 2 million. The full-page ad included supportive statements on how chiropractic made a difference in making him one of the most feared wide receivers in the history of football, and later as a finalist with the popular Dancing with the Stars competition reality program.
"This ad is the beginning of a comprehensive public relations effort that is planned in the next couple of months to communicate Rice's endorsement of our profession and will include placement in Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Men's Fitness and Women's Health," said Laura Carabello, principal in CPR Communications, the company that handles all media and public relations for the Foundation.
"My first experience with chiropractic care was right before the 49ers were to play the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII in 1987," said Rice in the promotional video. "A couple of our key players were injured and a chiropractor turned things around. I quickly became a believer and ever since, I have had the benefit of chiropractic care."
"Football is a very rough and vigorous sport," said Rice in the video. "Many of the pass patterns in a game - either long or short - required a maximum effort. I took some vicious hits from players nearly twice my size. [Rice is 6'2" and his playing weight was 200 pounds] Thankfully, I had the durability to withstand these tackles - or I would never have succeeded or lasted as long as I did. Chiropractic was the key to keeping me in the game."
Although his football career is over, his use of chiropractic treatment continues -most recently helping him when he was a finalist on Dancing with the Stars.
"Dancing with the Stars was every bit as exhausting and challenging - though not nearly as brutal as football," said Rice in the video. "It required many hours of practice. I had aches and pains that I never had before. Again, chiropractic made the difference - and kept me dancing and in competition."
