The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made another positive PR move, and this isn't your normal case of charity. Back in May, two local high schools were hit by burglars, who stole the football equipment of two local football teams. That's a pretty hefty blow to a youth football program, but the Bucs stepped in, as noted by the Tampa Tribune, and scraped together $11,000 to help replace the stolen equipment for the Carrollwood Cardinals and Highland Pines Cougars. The players, ages 5 to 14, will also be flag runners during the preseason game against the New England Patriots.
This is yet another positive PR note for the Buccaneers, who have worked hard to rehabilitate their local image. While the Bucs consistently remained involved with many different charities and did a lot of community work these past years, somehow their reputation in the community was poor, in part because of a number of minor and major off the field incidents involving Bucs players. The team has worked hard to get the area to believe in them again, and so far it appears to be working.