On Sunday night before taking the field to face the Buccaneers, an atmosphere of nervousness and anxiety that is common before kickoff of a game in the Rams was palpable in the Rams locker room. National Football League. Different clothes hang in the dressing rooms and the sound of the music player bounces off the walls. Among helmets, bandages and gloves is Kobie Turner with a pair of pink booties resting on a folded towel. The color is not surprising in these two weeks where the campaign My Cause, My Cleats allows you to customize your shoes to play. What stands out is the name engraved on the instep. CHIRLA. A organization that works with immigrants in Los Angeles.
The presence of those cleats offers an obvious contrast to the silence of the league. The NFL has more than 1,500 players. Many have roots outside the country with surnames that do not belong to Anglo-Saxon heritage. The list includes surnames from Mexico, Brazil, Samoa, Nigeria, the Dominican Republic and Central America. Even with that diversity, no one else chose an organization that serves immigrant families in the midst of an escalation of federal arrests.
Turner’s story incorporates a direct link with migration processes. His grandfather arrived from Jamaica. His wife’s parents migrated from Peru. The player’s family lived with documents kept in blue folders and appointments in public offices. That experience defines the type of organizations with which he interacts today. CHIRLA is part of that network. Their staff works in Los Angeles neighborhoods where ICE raids left empty homes, closed businesses, and legal paperwork that requires immediate assistance.
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The campaign My Cause My Cleats It has been serving several years as a space for players to show community commitments. The majority choose causes focused on children’s health, educational programs or their foundations’ own initiatives. In that list, the absence of organizations dedicated to civil rights of immigrants stands out. Turner appears as an exception in a league that rarely puts the topic on its screens.
“I really wanted to do something to give a voice to the immigrant community. And I know that CHIRLA does excellent work providing opportunities and paths to citizenship,” Turner said in statements reported by The Los Angeles Times.
The campaign will continue in the Week 13 which is marked by Thanksgiving. Last Sunday Night, Turner invited several young people supported by CHIRLA to watch the game where the Rams shone again with a victory over the Bucs. Chirla prepares information materials for families who closely follow the raids and repatriation processes. His team trusts that Turner’s visibility will allow a bridge with communities that do not usually seek legal support due to fear or ignorance.
“You look around and you see ‘Vamos Rams’. The communities we serve are immigrant communities. It’s important to be able to give them a voice and let them know that they are heard,” said Turber,
Turner is part of a rotation that maintains the team’s defensive rhythm. Her pink boots showed off with her actions on the field with two sacks and six tackles. The player’s activities extend off the field. With A Place Called Home, he participates in the delivery of four hundred turkeys and food supplies to families in the south of the city. He also rehearses with the show’s youth band for a performance during its main event of the week.
The presence of a single pair of cleats with the name of an immigrant organization summarizes a reality that runs through the league. An entire community faces raids and legal proceedings as the NFL moves forward with its schedule.
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“We hope that other players and other teams in Los Angeles, who have been silent during these times, see Turner and the Rams as an example of what they could do for immigrant families,” said Luis Tadeo, CHIRLA’s director of marketing and public relations.
Jared Verse went a few games without a sack and I started to hear how “disappointing” he’s been.
Chris Shula draws up a stunt with Stewart and Verse. Verse doesn’t get the sack, but forces Baker to tuck the ball and step up right into Kobie Turner. pic.twitter.com/toVO5WUwP8
— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) November 25, 2025
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