"We Like To Think Football Players Lead."@NFLCommish Surprised Anthony Lotti And Sam Philippi With ??? To #SBLIV In Recognition Of Their Selflessness In Donating Bone Marrow Through @BeTheMatch#SuperBowlSurprise pic.twitter.com/zgVNyj2lxr

— ??Penn Football ?? (@PENNfb) November 4, 2019

PHILADELPHIA – A pair of University of Pennsylvania football players received a #SuperBowlSurprise on Monday as Sam Philippi and Anthony Lotti were presented with tickets to Super Bowl LIV by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as part of the NFL's commitment to rewarding members of the football community who have performed selfless acts.
 
Lotti and Philippi each have donated bone marrow to cancer patients through Penn Football's involvement with Be The Match – a national donor registry which the Quakers support each year.
 
On Monday, Lotti and Philippi sat down for what they thought would be a round of media interviews regarding their Be The Match involvement. What they didn't know is that the first person they'd see would be Commissioner Goodell who congratulated them on their leadership and selflessness before personally inviting them and a guest to Miami for the Super Bowl in February.
 
Lotti – who donated bone marrow in August – and Philippi – who donated at the conclusion of the 2016 season – are two of five Penn Football players to be matched as donors since the Quakers began their donor drive 12 years ago.
 
About the NMDP
The NMDP facilitates unrelated marrow and cord-blood transplants as a single point of access for a long-standing collaborative network of national and international leading medical facilities in marrow and cord blood transplantation. The NMDP connects patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives. For more information call 1(800) MARROW-2 or visit www.marrow.org.
 
About Penn and "Be The Match"
For each of the past 12 years, the University of Pennsylvania football team has participated in "Be The Match" drives with the NMDP. The initiative was started by former Villanova Head Football Coach Andy Talley, who has dedicated more than 18 years to raising awareness about the need for marrow donors and increasing the likelihood that all patients receive the life-saving transplant they need. In addition to Penn, more than 100 college football programs participated in the program this year.