Chris Long, William Hayes Go Undercover as Homeless

Today, ESPN aired a journey of two NFL players who wanted to see what it was like to be homeless for a day. St. Louis Rams’ William Hayes and Chris Long had often wondered what life on the streets was like.

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But, it is Hayes who feels the strongest towards helping the homeless. Hayes has visited the St. Patrick Center, a homeless resource facility, on numerous occasions and ran the idea by Long about experiencing what it would be like to be homeless. Without hesitation, Long agreed and they embarked on a night they would never forget.

The idea came up as the two teammates were sitting on the team bus and spotted some homeless people.

“I wonder how hard that would be. If we could handle that.” – Hayes

With the help of the Rams community outreach staff, Hayes and Long were given second-hand clothing and makeup to help hide their identities. The two men were also accompanied by an off duty cop and followed by a hidden camera crew. Hayes and Long were given just four dollars and were without a cellphone.

March 22, 2015 would be a day they would never forget.

Right away, Hayes and Long were stopped by a police officer who questioned where they had come from. Along the way, the two teammates were constantly stared at and looked down upon.

“Gosh, I hate when people stare at me, man.” – Hayes

Hayes thought it would be a good idea to get some sleep during the day, knowing that they would not be getting a good night’s sleep.

Hayes and Long had just eight dollars between the two, and thought it would be a good idea to panhandle for some extra money. So, the teammates sat roadside right out in-front of Edward Jones Dome in hopes of getting some friendly tips.

Long managed to get six dollars from panhandling while Hayes didn’t get anything.

“Wow, that guy gave me five dollars. That could make someones day.” – Long

Hayes and Long had different interpretations as to why Long, a white man received six dollars while Hayes, a black man didn’t.

"“I won’t say the reason was because he is white and I am black, but I feel that I looked more aggressive than Chris did. – Hayes ” I’m not trying to be nieve, but I feel that he didn’t get anything because he stood on the passenger side of the cars while I stood on the driver’s side.” – Long"

With the 14 dollars the now had, they decided to get some fast food rather than getting a meal at soup kitchen.

It was now time to find somewhere to sleep with it getting dark, so the teammates traveled to the outskirts of town and took shelter at a bonfire outside of a warehouse. But, were quickly run off by a man who claimed that they were tress-passing.

Hayes and Long then took shelter inside of a cube truck in hopes to stay out of the cold, but it did not help them to stay warm. The teammates left the truck at 5:18 am with the outside temperature at 38 degrees Fahrenheit.

” It was the worst night I’ve ever had in my life.” – Hayes

With their bodies aching, Hayes and Long ended their homeless experience with a long walk in the rain back across town.

On the way back home, the teammates took a ride through the places they had been the day before, and stopped by to talk to the man who had run them off the previous night.

Hayes and Long learned that the man was named Marty, and had been living in this abandoned building for the past several year’s with other people as well. Marty, a once very stable person with a good job and wife, quickly turned for the worst. But, that is how it goes sometimes.

Hayes and Long decided to pay for two months worth of hotel’s for Marty and another women who had lost her way as well.

” The causes of homelessness are so multiple and so layered.” – Long

Marty in the coming weeks found a construction job and Nancy received some outreached support after being homeless for more than two years. Nancy stressed the importance to get back to her seven kids living in Illinois.

Long finally visited the St. Patrick Center and how has a new-found look on homeless people, and how hard it is to live in that setting.

Long explained that for every sack the Rams get, they donate 1,000 dollars to the St. Patrick Center.

Long thanked Hayes for his amazing idea and now helps the homeless in any way he can. And more importantly, both Hayes and Long say the experience changed their lives.

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