TORONTO — Canadian Nate Burleson will help The Huddle kick off the ’23 NFL season.
Burleson will attend the season-opening edition of The Huddle on Thursday night when the Kansas City Chiefs begin their Super Bowl defence against the Detroit Lions. The Huddle is the first-ever pop-up sports bar in downtown Toronto and was launched last year by NFL Canada for league fans in southern Ontario.
Burleson, 42, played 11 NFL seasons as a receiver with the Minnesota Vikings (2003-05), Seattle Seahawks (2006-09) and Detroit (2010-13). The six-foot, 198-pound Calgary native recorded 457 career catches for 5,630 yards and 39 touchdowns but is also the only player in league history to have three punt returns of 90-plus yards.
Burleson is presently a co-host of CBS Mornings, an American weekday news television program.
The Huddle will showcase all prime-time matchups while giving fans the chance to interact with NFL legends, take pictures with the Lombardi Trophy (on select nights) and win NFL merchandise. Between plays, individuals can also test out Madden NFL 24.
On Sunday night, Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware will be on hand for the Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants game while Cris Carter, also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is confirmed for Sept. 14 when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
The other dates for The Huddle are Sept. 17 when the Miami Dolphins play the New England Patriots and Sept. 18 when the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers square off.
Tickets are available for $10 to those 19 years of age and over at nflhuddle.ca. All proceeds will go to Interval House, Canada’s first centre for women survivors of intimate partner violence and their children.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2023.
