Ted Karras thanks Bengals fans for supporting his charity

The Cincinnati Bengals did a great job in signing center Ted Karras last off-season. Karras has been an awesome leader in the locker room, a solid presence in the middle of the offensive line, and he has produced some great mic’d-up moments as well.

Other than the awesome impact in Cincinnati, Karras used hats he made for his teammates to do a lot of good in his hometown of Indianapolis with The Cincy Hat. I did a write-up in November about how the hats came to be and how Karras and his lifelong friend, Matt Reine, found a way to use them for a great cause. You can read more here.

As the season comes to an end, The Cincy Hat has raised around $500,000 for The Village of Merici, which helps adults in Indianapolis with developmental disabilities. Karras never intended to sell the hats, but the response he has received surely has helped him know he made the right decision.

It has been a great first season in Cincinnati for Karras and the fan base rallying behind his cause makes it even better. Karras gained a lot of fans from his mic’d up against the Miami Dolphins and his passionate exchange with Titans fans in Tennessee, but raising money for a great cause will have an impact that lasts well after the video clips stop making the rounds.