Hey there!

I want to start by letting you all know how excited I am to be participating in the Delta blog. I’ve been following the blog for the last couple months and I must confess, I have some pretty big shoes to fill if I’m going to give Jeff Francoeur a run for his money. Hopefully I’m able to provide you guys with some of the same quality insight about my experience that he has.

Off Season is Great

I’m currently in San Diego, CA where my wife and I make our off-season home. As you might imagine the weather is sunny, beautiful and everything you would expect California to be. We usually get to spend a couple months out here a year and, being a native Southern Californian, I can’t get enough of the ocean and amazing golf courses out here. In case you didn’t know, next to football, golf is one of my favorite sports. I try to play as much as I can and in a few weeks, I’m going to be in Tahoe playing in the American Century Championship Celebrity Pro-Am. I look forward to that event every year because there are so many amazing celebrities that play in it (including guys that I grew up admiring) and we have such a good time. Speaking of good times, let me tell you a little about the Carson Palmer Open which happened last week…

Giving Back

When I entered the NFL, my wife and I knew that I had a responsibility to find ways to give back to the community. Since I’m an avid golfer, I decided to hold a golf tournament every year in Orange County to benefit an organization called Hillview Acres. They work with abused and disadvantaged youth and they do a tremendous job. Last weekend, we held the annual Carson Palmer Open that allowed a bunch of people to get together, have a good time and raise some money for a good cause. There were about 30 athletes that helped me put on the event including: Marcus Allen, Matt Leinart, Eric Dickerson, Brandon Jacobs, Todd Heap and several others. The tournament was held at the St. Regis Monarch Beach resort and, if you are every looking for a beautiful place to stay in Orange County, CA, I highly recommend it. We’ve held it there the past two years and everything, from the hotel accommodations to the golf course, is first rate. As for the event, after two days of dinners, silent and live auction, golf and awards, we were able to raise well over six figures for Hillview. I’m extremely grateful and fortunate that Delta was able to jump on board as a title sponsor.

Delta’s support of me and my charitable causes (including a touchdown program for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Cincinnati last season) speaks volumes about the integrity of the company and the commitment that they have to giving back. It’s appreciated and makes me proud to call them a partner. In addition to Delta, I’d like to thank all the sponsors, celebrities and participants that helped make the event possible. We’re looking forward to doing it bigger and better next season and I’ll be sure to let you know more specifics as the event comes up.

Pre-Training

With the golf event finished, I’m looking forward to getting some time to relax with my wife and friends before training camp starts in July. I’m going to be a frequent contributor to this blog so I hope that my stories and future adventures don’t bore you guys too much. If they do, I apologize in advance. In meantime, I hope the weather is treating all of you as well as it’s treating me.

Stay well and until next time…

Carson

Carson Palmer is the Quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals.