several of his teammates and team officials at the 11th-annual Leukemia Golf Classic at Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va.*
After taking over hosting duties from Brian Orakpo last year, linebacker Ryan Kerrigan has made the most of leading the annual Leukemia Golf Classic.
Taking place at Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va., the golf tournament welcomed Redskins players, coaches and front office personnel to play a round for an inspiring cause.
"It's been cool to be able to headline the event these past couple of years because I know this event means a lot to the Redskins and to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society," Kerrigan said. "So to be able to be involved with it has been really rewarding, really fun, and this year we have an even bigger turnout than we did last year so you can see that we're having a good impact on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society."
Kerrigan said getting his teammates, which included quarterback Kirk Cousins, linebacker Will Compton and punter Tress Way, among many others, to join him wasn't a hard sell, considering many of them love to play golf in the offseason anyway.
"It just continues to grow," Kerrigan said. "I think we have 78 foursomes this year, so it's going to make for a lot of time on the course today, but that's alright, worse places to be than the golf course."
Each Leukemia Golf Classic features a patient hero, whose story serves as an inspiration and as the direct meaning behind the tournament: to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
This year, the hero was Isiah M. Dixon, a 16-year old junior attending St. Alban's School in Washington, D.C. A lacrosse player, Dixon was diagnosed with leukemia in May 2014 and he remained in the hospital for 32 days until doctors found no more traces of the leukemia cells in his body. He finished his final phase of treatment in April last year.
"His leukemia is in remission now and he should be able to get back out on the field next year," Kerrigan said. "So yeah, getting to know him and getting to know his story is usually the most rewarding part [of the day]."
"He's a very quality individual," general manager Scot McCloughan said of Kerrigan. "The charity is very important to us and as an organization, football is a game, this is really about life, and that's what's important to us."
To donate or to get more information about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society National Capital Chapter, click here.
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