Since retiring following the 2020 NFL season, Arizona Cardinals’ legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has been quite the busy man. Fitzgerald is widely known for his elite play on the field and loyalty to the Cardinals, spending all 17 seasons of his NFL career with the team after being drafted third overall in the 2004 NFL Draft.
Now, five years after his retirement, Fitzgerald continues to show the same graciousness and humility that earned him the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2016.
Larry Fitzgerald’s Impact Off the Field Rivals His Hall of Fame Career
Fitzgerald accomplished so much over his 17 years spent on the gridiron. On top of being an 11-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, he is undoubtedly the greatest receiver in Cardinals history. Fitzgerald leads the Cardinals in receptions (1,432), receiving yards (17,492), and receiving touchdowns (121).
Despite those ridiculous stats, Fitzgerald is most proud of his work off the field.
Back in 2005, the Cardinals receiver founded “The Larry Fitzgerald Foundation” just a year after he was drafted. The foundation was created in honour of his late mother, Carol, who passed away as a result of breast cancer in 2003.
The foundation has played a huge role in supporting women and men affected by breast cancer in communities that have been historically underserved.
To this day, the foundation has worked tirelessly to help fund organizations and initiatives that provide life-enhancing resources not only in the Phoenix area, where he spent his playing career, and in his hometown of Minneapolis, but also nationally.
Speaking of the Phoenix area, Fitzgerald has maintained ties to the sports scene since his retirement. Just before the 2020 season, Fitzgerald purchased a minority stake in the Phoenix Suns. At the time, Fitzgerald became the second active NFL player to own a stake in an NBA team.
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During his time in the NFL, Fitzgerald was known for his longevity and work ethic; neither has slowed down post-retirement. Along with all the philanthropy work he still does, Fitzgerald also serves on the Board of Governors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
The Boys and Girls Club is a nonprofit organization that primarily provides after-school activities for youth across America and beyond. Fitzgerald’s resume will always place him among the NFL’s all-time greats as he sits second in all-time receiving yards. But his legacy was never going to be defined by numbers alone.
Long after all the accolades and wild playoff moments fade into history, his commitment to service continues to change lives in ways far more meaningful than anything that happens on a football field.
In retirement, if you haven’t heard much of what Fitzgerald has been up to, it is not because he has stepped away from the spotlight; he’s simply used the same spotlight that used to shine so bright on him every Sunday to shine it on others who need light in their lives.
