NFL chess players include one of the greatest wide receivers ever, Larry Fitzgerald, and other top NFL players. A group of them compete for $100,000 in prize money to the charity of their choice in a blitz chess competition held in July 2022.[1] The donations to charity by chess supporters are higher for this chess tournament than by the stingy NFL for its annual Pro-Bowl game.[2]
Former NFL players also turn to chess. John Urschel, who retired early from the NFL to pursue a PhD in mathematics from MIT, is a fine chess player.[3]