NFL Hall of Famers Kick-off Super Bowl Week With Campaign to 'Know Your Stats about Prostate Cancer'

MIAMI, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- As players and fans gear up for Super Bowl XLIV, the American Urological Association (AUA) Foundation and the National Football League (NFL) are encouraging men to "Know Your Stats about Prostate Cancer," the second leading cause of cancer death for American men.

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NFL Hall of Fame member and prostate cancer survivor Mike Haynes is leading the awareness campaign.  Fans and players across the country can join the team at www.KnowYourStats.org to help spread the word about prostate cancer and the importance of early detection.  This week, team members Tony Dorsett, Marcus Allen and Deacon Jones, will join Mike Haynes in Miami to urge men to know their stats about prostate cancer.  

The AUA Foundation and the NFL Player Care Foundation are providing a free screening event on Wednesday, February 3, at the Renaissance Ft. Lauderdale Hotel, open exclusively to players, retired players and members of the media.  In addition to the screening event, a national public service announcement will debut at the Super Bowl sharing the message in-stadium. The effort features football legends "Mean" Joe Greene, Michael Irvin, Anthony Munoz, Andre Tippett and Rod Woodson, among others.  

NFL great Mike Haynes is one of the many men who has benefitted from early detection due to prostate cancer testing.  Before his diagnosis through a free NFL Player Care Foundation screening conducted by the AUA Foundation, prostate cancer was the last thing on his mind. Now a prostate cancer survivor, Haynes is speaking out in partnership with the NFL and the AUA Foundation, encouraging men to talk to their doctors.

"One in every six men in the US will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime.  And African-American men are at a higher risk for developing prostate cancer and more than twice as likely to die from the disease," said Mike Haynes, NFL Hall of Fame member and prostate cancer survivor.  "We're here in Miami to get all men to add the important statistics about prostate cancer to the stats they already know about their favorite NFL players."

The relationship between the AUA Foundation and the NFL began in 2007 when the NFL Player Care Foundation began implementing prostate cancer screenings conducted by the AUA Foundation.  The NFL Player Care Foundation was created in 2007 to address health and quality of life issues encountered by retired players

To fight this deadly disease, the American Urological Association (AUA) recently issued new guidelines recommending that men 40 and older talk with their doctors about prostate cancer testing.  A physical exam and simple blood test to establish a baseline PSA (prostate-specific antigen) score today could help save a life later.

Men and their loved ones are encouraged to join the team and get in the game where their health is concerned.  They can visit www.KnowYourStats.org  for information about prostate cancer and to find free or low-cost screening locations.

What You Should Know, or Share with the Men in Your Life, about Prostate Cancer:

• Prostate defense starts at 40.  Talk with your doctor about prostate cancer testing.
  • The American Urological Association recommends that men ages 40 and older talk with their doctor about prostate cancer testing including the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and a simple physical exam.
  • Knowing your score today could help save your life later. Establishing a baseline PSA score at age 40 can help doctors better interpret your future PSA scores.  
• Know Your Stats – and don't let prostate cancer take you out of the game.  Visit www.KnowYourStats.org to learn more.

About Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is most treatable when caught early. The American Urological Association recently revised its guidelines to recommend men get a baseline PSA test at age 40 and talk with their doctors to create a prostate health plan based on lifestyle and family history.  PSA helps detect prostate cancer; men who are screened at age 40 establish a baseline score that can be tracked over time.

About the Team

Former players, coaches and their families have joined Team Haynes to help promote prostate cancer awareness, including: Marcus Allen (Oakland Raiders), Frank Biletnikoff (Oakland Raiders), Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns), Willie Brown (Oakland Raiders), Mabel and Harry Carson (NY Giants), Ted Cottrell (Atlanta Falcons), Len Dawson (Kansas City Chiefs), Fred Dean (San Francisco 49ers), Eric Dickerson (Los Angeles Rams), Tony Dorsett (Dallas Cowboys), Frank Gifford (New York Giants), Joe Greene (Pittsburgh Steelers), Mike Haynes (New England Patriots/Los Angeles Raiders), Thomas L. Jackson (Denver Broncos), Deacon Jones (Los Angeles Rams),  Marv Levy (Buffalo Bills), Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens), Bob Lilly (Dallas Cowboys), Larry Little (Miami Dolphins), James Lofton (Green Bay Packers), Ron Mix (San Diego Chargers), Anthony Munoz (Cincinnati Bengals), Ozzie Newsome (Cleveland Browns), Charlie Sanders (Detroit Lions), Pollie Shaw (wife of Billy Shaw, Buffalo Bills), Jim Taylor (Green Bay Packers), Andre Tippett (New England Patriots), Merle Wilcox (wife of Dave Wilcox, San Francisco 49ers), Rod Woodson (Pittsburgh Steelers), Jack Youngblood (Los Angeles Rams) and Gary Zimmerman (Denver Broncos).

About the AUA Foundation

The AUA Foundation is the world's leading non-profit urological health foundation and the Official Foundation of the American Urological Association. Our mission is to promote health, provide hope and promise a future free of urologic disease, including cancer.

As the official foundation of the AUA, the professional organization of approximately 16,000 urologists, the AUA Foundation is the trusted public source for the most accurate and current information relating to urological health.

GlaxoSmithKline proudly provides funding and support for this campaign.

About the NFL Player Care Foundation

The National Football League, in partnership with the NFL Players Association, the NFL Retired Players Association and the Hall of Fame, formed the NFL Player Care Foundation in May 2007.  Its mission is to provide charitable grants that support research and offer relief to disadvantaged and distressed retired players that will improve their quality of life.  

* American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures for African Americans 2009-2010. American Cancer Society; Atlanta, GA. 2009: 13.

SOURCE AUA Foundation