Despite not being scheduled to call the game, Greg Olsen has emerged as one of the main characters of the lead up to Super Bowl LIX.
But while much of the focus on Olsen has been placed on him being passed over for Tom Brady as Fox’s lead color commentator, one NFL writer took a different approach to profiling the former Pro Bowl tight end in New Orleans.
In a story for Athlon Sports, longtime NFL writer Doug Farrar revealed the personal connection he made with Olsen over his stepdaughter’s need for a bone marrow transplant in late-2023. According to Farrar, his stepdaughter, Claire, was diagnosed with a life-threatening bone marrow condition called aplastic anemia, requiring her to undergo a bone marrow transplant to save her life.
After a donor for Claire was lined up, Farrar and his wife set up a GoFundMe page to help account for the expenses that wouldn’t be covered by her health insurance. The donations reached $30,000 — less than half of the campaign’s goal of $75,000 — before Olsen reached out to Farrar privately via direct message on X.
“I’ll give you $10,000,” Olsen told him after checking in to see how Claire was doing. “Hate that you’re going through this, especially this time of year. It’s never easy for a parent. Please let me know the best way to handle.”
“A few days later, we had Greg’s generous gift, which was a game-changer in so many ways,” Farrar wrote.
Despite having covered the NFL for a variety of outlets over the years, Farrar said he had never previously interacted with the longtime tight-end-turned-broadcaster. He was, however, familiar with Olsen’s foundation, The Heartest Yard, which helps families financially navigate health battles and was born out of the former Miami Hurricanes star’s son being born with a heart issue in 2012.
New on @AthlonSports: Everybody knows @gregolsen88 as the Pro Bowl tight and outstanding analyst. My family also knows Greg as someone who reached out to us in our hour of need with a gesture that was completely unexpected and life-altering. https://t.co/mObVYJOZqc
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 6, 2025
While it’s been more than a year since Olsen’s donation, the lead up to Super Bow LIX marked Farrar’s first opportunity to thank him for his generosity in person. Discussing the situation with Farrar, the 39-year-old Olsen drew on his own experience as a parent dealing with a child’s medical hardships.
“I’ve been in those helpless situations. I’ve been in those dark days [where] you just want someone to help you,” Olsen said in reference to the heart transplant his own son underwent at the age of eight. “And through our foundation, of course, a lot of it is through pediatric cardiology, but it really goes beyond whatever the ailment is.
“When there’s other people struggling, and you can put yourself in those shoes, and you have the ability to make a small impact, to just say, hey, there’s other people here. We get it. There’s nothing I can really do to make you feel better, but here’s something we can do to make your life maybe just a little bit easier, take a little of the stress off, a little of the pain away, as you guys take care of your daughter, your son, your stepdaughter, your stepson, whatever the case may be. I just felt moved by reading your story. We obviously were fortunate that we were in a position to make the donation.
“But again, to run into you here, and to hear that she’s doing well, and that her treatment’s going well, that makes us very happy.”
By his own admission, Farrar dropped the guise of objectivity while writing his story.
“As much as Greg Olsen has done on the field and in the broadcast booth, I can say from personal experience that his work as a compassionate person, a father who cares about other parent, and an empath of the highest order who has gone above and beyond for others far exceeds any of his other public achievements,” he wrote. “And I’m happy to make this story of generosity public with Greg’s permission, and the permission of my family.
“Claire, Laura, and myself would not be where we are today without it.”
