LOS ANGELES, April 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FaZe Clan, the world's most prominent gaming organization known for their disruptive content and hyper-engaged global community, will join NFL's "Draft-A-Thon" during the first-ever virtual draft this week. To commemorate the historic event, FaZe Clan and the NFL have teamed up to create an iconic, limited-edition merchandise collection, which will be released the first day of the NFL Draft, marking the NFL's first-ever clothing collaboration with a gaming organization. A massive fundraising campaign aimed at raising much-needed funds for COVID-19 relief efforts, "Draft-A-Thon" will be live streamed on NFL social and digital platforms and featured in live Draft coverage on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, and ESPN Deportes during the 2020 NFL Draft (April 23-25).

Members of FaZe Clan who are quarantined together in their Hollywood home will be hosting a watch party and capturing content during Round 1 of the NFL Draft, Thursday, April 23. FaZe Clan founding members FaZe Banks and FaZe Temperrr, both originally from Boston and die-hard New England Patriots fans, are particularly excited for the six-time Super Bowl champions' first-round pick. Fans can tune into the virtual draft and follow FaZe Clan, New England Patriots and NFL's official channels to watch the excitement.

"It's an absolute honor for FaZe Clan to be teaming up with the NFL and personally a dream come true," says FaZe Clan founder FaZe Banks. "Our merch collab and participating in the Draft-A-Thon will be the first time a lot of traditional sports fans and NFL fans will be introduced to esports, so this isn't only a huge moment for FaZe Clan, but it's big for esports in general."

Fans can follow the "Draft-A-Thon" on NFL digital properties across devices (phone, PC, tablet and connected TVs) and on Twitter, Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo Sports. Donations can be made at NFL.com/RELIEF and there is also a text-to-donate option. In addition to raising funds, the "Draft-A-Thon" will pay tribute to healthcare workers, first responders, and others on the front lines of the battle with COVID-19.

The exclusive merchandise collection, which features a hoodie for $80 and a short-sleeve tee for $40, will be available Thursday, April 23 at 12pm PT/ 3pm ET on www.fazeclan.com and www.nflshop.com. The design was inspired by the first-ever virtual draft and is reminiscent of the late 1990s/early 2000s football arcade games that FaZe Clan talent grew up playing. The layout of the two helmets represents a head-to-head on a field FaZe Clan is incredibly familiar with: live streaming.

The "Draft-A-Thon" participation and merchandise collaboration aren't the first time the NFL and FaZe Clan have teamed up. This moment is an extension of their partnership, which began in 2019 at the NFL Kick-Off Day, and continued with the NFL hosting FaZe Clan members at Super Bowl LIV earlier this year.

In response to the current pandemic, FaZe Clan rapidly galvanized the gaming, entertainment and sports communities with their Fight2Fund initiative, a weekly online pro-am tournament that raised roughly $125,000 in four weeks for those affected by COVID-19. With Fight2Fund, FaZe Clan provided an opportunity for athletes including NFL players, along with musicians, content creators and brands to interact with the highly engaged gaming community while putting their time, energy and ad dollars toward a good cause. Additionally, FaZe Clan teamed up with Verizon acting as their preferred gaming partner in their #PayItForwardLIVE initiative through weekly gaming events focused on supporting small businesses affected by COVID-19.

ABOUT FAZE CLAN
Since its inception in 2010, FaZe Clan has established itself as the world's most prominent and influential gaming organization known for its disruptive original content and hyper-engaged global fanbase of 215 million combined across all social platforms. FaZe Clan holds an unrivaled position at the epicenter of gaming, sports, culture and entertainment, driving how the next generation consumes content, plays and shops. Their roster of 85 influential personalities consists of world-class gamers, engaging content creators and a mix of talent beyond the world of gaming, including NBA star Ben Simmons, NFL star Juju Smith-Schuster and global superstar artists Offset and Lil Yachty. The organization's unmatched esports division includes seven competitive teams in Fortnite, FIFA, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six, Call of Duty League (Atlanta FaZe) and CS:GO with dozens of world championship trophies among them. In addition, FaZe Clan has become a sought-after fashion and lifestyle brand through an inspired apparel line and limited-edition collaborations with partners including Champion, Manchester City FC, Lyrical Lemonade, Kappa, CLOT, LA Kings and more. Follow us @FaZeClan and @FaZeApparel.

SOURCE FaZe Clan

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