Bengals and NFL sending grant to Covington Catholic High School

The Bengals, the NFL and the Local Initiatives Support Corp., (LISC) announced on Thursday that they are providing Covington Catholic with a $200,000 grant for a field replacement project at the high school.

The project, which includes installation of a synthetic playing surface for the school and community, is to be unveiled at 12:45 p.m. Saturday before the kickoff of the Covington Catholic-Beechwood High School game at Wooten Field in Park Hills, Ky.

Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn and Bob Bedinghaus, the club’s director of development, are scheduled to present the NFL Foundation Grassroots Grant.

"We are happy to continue to support local youth football and especially pleased to play a role in this project.  With this grant we have invested more than $1.8 million in funding for football fields in the greater Cincinnati area over the past several years," Blackburn said in a news release.

Also scheduled to be on hand are Most Reverend Roger J. Foys, Bishop of Covington, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Covington Michael Clines, principal Bob Rowe, and athletic director Mike Guidugli.

"We are grateful to the NFL, LISC, the Bengals, and especially the Brown family for this wonderful gift," Rowe said on behalf of the school. "This grant will allow us to achieve our goal of providing our student athletes and youth football program with a first-class stadium. Projects like this bring enthusiasm and pride to the school community and engage all stakeholders. We are blessed and honored to be partners with these most generous organizations who continue to put our youth at the center."