Carson Wentz hosts second AO1 Foundation charity softball game Friday at Citizens Bank Park
Wentz and 30 of his Eagles teammates will take over Citizens Bank Park on Friday night.
Carson Wentz and 30 Eagles teammates will take over Citizens Bank Park on Friday night for the quarterback’s second annual AO1 Foundation charity softball game, offering fans a chance to see the Eagles trade their helmets and shoulder pads for baseball bats and gloves.
Wentz has a tough act to follow. Last season, the inaugural event sold about 25,000 advance tickets and raised $850,000 for Wentz’s foundation, which supports the Haiti Sports Complex, Thy Kingdom Crumb Food Truck, and the AO1 Foundation’s Outdoor Program.
“Last year was a lot of fun,” Wentz said. “The guys had a blast. I know the community supported us in a huge way. I’m excited about what this year could bring. Obviously, it helped raise money for some really good causes we have off the field, but more so, it’s just a fun kind of community event, and you get to see some of these guys out of their element, swinging and missing at softballs, just having a blast, kind of being kids again.”
Wentz won’t be swinging a bat or playing the field. The quarterback will coach his teammates for the second consecutive year. He was recovering from a torn ACL last year, and he’s fresh off his recovery from a stress fracture in his back this year.
“Some of these guys are kind of a handful,” Wentz joked. “You’ve got to make sure they’re doing what they’re told to do, staying in line, so I’m going to coach.”
The teams will be split up on offense and defense. Wentz will coach the offense, and safety Rodney McLeod will coach the defense.
The offensive players expected to play are wide receivers Nelson Agholor, DeSean Jackson, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside; running backs Corey Clement, Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, and Wendell Smallwood; tight ends Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, and Richard Rodgers; offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, and Stefen Wisniewski; and quarterback Nate Sudfeld.
The defensive players are linemen Vinny Curry, Brandon Graham, and Malik Jackson; linebackers L.J. Fort, Nate Gerry, and Kamu Grugier-Hill; and DBs Rasul Douglas, Sidney Jones, Cre’Von LeBlanc, and Avonte Maddox. Special-teamers Jake Elliott, Cameron Johnston, and Rick Lovato will play for the defense.
The home-run derby is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and the game at 7:30 p.m.