Marine Corps veteran Brian Myers and his 12-year-old daughter, Brilee, will be honored guests at Sunday's Cincinnati Bengals game against Pittsburgh, their trip arranged by a local nonprofit that has quietly sent dozens of veterans and fans with disabilities to Paycor Stadium since 2024. Brilee, who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a vision impairment, will be attending her first Bengals game in person.
The honor comes courtesy of Project Game-Dey, a nonprofit described as sending people with disabilities and military veterans to Bengals games, according to Axios. Myers ended his military career after a severe hip injury and now works for Cincinnati Public Schools, per the same report. The organization says its honorees receive game tickets, parking, concessions, spending money and a custom Bengals jersey.
How Project Game-Dey Got Its Start
The nonprofit was founded by a group of Bengals-loving friends who began in 2024 by hosting an NFL draft watch party to raise money for game tickets, Axios reports. Co-founder Joe Streck told the outlet that Project Game-Dey has honored 28 people since then. Streck said the organization creates memories that go well beyond simply handing out football tickets.
Part of that experience happens before the players even take the field. Project Game-Dey holds a pregame tailgate celebrating its honorees, and the group's tailgate page for Cincinnati Lager House states that the event runs before every Cincinnati home football game, beginning three hours before kickoff, according to cincylagerhouse.com. The page notes that each tailgate recognizes individuals with disabilities and the military veterans who have served the country, and it lists appearances by Hilarious Scales of LOCAL 12 along with a live DJ set from Strawberry Ice as entertainment.
A Dancing King Meets His Favorite Player
Past honorees have found their own moments of joy at these tailgates and on the field. One previous honoree, Frankie, who had a liver transplant and sometimes uses a wheelchair, danced at his tailgate before meeting Ja'Marr Chase on the field, where the star receiver gave him a pair of his gloves, Axios reported. Streck said those are the moments that make all the hard work worthwhile.
Other tailgate hosts have taken up similar causes. Fox19 reported that Hood News 75 and The Ice Man hosted a Project Game Dey tailgate of their own, part of a broader pattern of community support around the nonprofit's game-day events.
How Fans Can Get Involved
Project Game-Dey relies on public support to keep sending honorees to games. According to Axios, fans can contribute to future experiences at the pregame tailgate, and they can also nominate honorees, volunteer or donate to the organization directly. For Brian and Brilee Myers, that community effort translates into a Sunday afternoon at Paycor Stadium that Brilee will experience live for the first time.
