For Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, the fight against multiple sclerosis is personal. After learning about his mother’s health condition, the Heisman winner didn’t sit back in remorse but made it a mission to support others battling the same condition. Fortunately, Mendoza has one of sports media’s biggest personalities, Pat McAfee, massively backing his cause.

Mendoza is raising awareness among people about multiple sclerosis by raising funds for the National MS Society. Pat McAfee, who was recently criticized for spending $150,000 on a dinner party, decided to spend money on a good cause and made the biggest donation to Mendoza’s fundraiser. Fox Sports’ Henry McKenna gave a shout-out to him on X, mentioning how he made a $50,000 donation for the cause.

Pat McAfee didn’t just passively write the check. The raw footage of Mendoza embracing Elsa post-game profoundly moved the multi-talented host, analyst, and WWE personality. Witnessing a national champion sideline his own glory to spotlight his mother’s quiet battle with MS struck a personal chord, which compelled McAfee to throw his heavyweight support behind the family.

Besides, this isn’t the first time McAfee donated a hefty amount for a charitable cause. This recent act of generosity is consistent with McAfee’s philanthropic track record, which includes major contributions to disaster recovery efforts, pediatric care at WVU Children’s Hospital, and even his own high school’s athletic department.

After Indiana’s national title win, the entire sports world saw a beautiful moment when Fernando Mendoza ran to his parents for celebration. But after that, everyone was left with just one question: what happened to her? Mendoza’s mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than a decade ago, which affected her mobility. Mendoza is raising funds for the National MS Society to help others dealing with multiple sclerosis for over a decade.

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“March is MS Awareness Month, and this cause is very personal to me,” Mendoza said. “My mom battles multiple sclerosis, and watching her face it with strength and optimism has shaped who I am today. She is my why and the reason I keep pushing every single day.”

Till now, Alberto and Fernando Mendoza have raised over $325,000, bringing together donors from all over the world. For Mendoza, it was always about the struggles his mom faced and what he could do for the people who were suffering from them. Beyond the financial relief, McAfee’s contribution provided a massive platform, amplifying the Mendoza brothers’ campaign and transforming a personal family story into a nationwide cause.

This fundraiser has never been about me or my achievements on the field. It’s always been about my mom and the millions of families living with MS,” Mendoza said. “My brother Alberto and I started this because we watched our mom, Elsa, face this disease with incredible strength and positivity.”

While Mendoza’s off-field character is earning national praise, his on-field future is a subject of intense debate as the NFL draft approaches.

Fernando Mendoza’s No.1 QB hype takes a hit

Fernando Mendoza has been making a buzz around getting into the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 pick for months now. After leading Indiana to an undefeated season and winning the Heisman and national championship with them, Mendoza is the No. 1 QB in the class, and many analysts see him as a franchise quarterback, too. However, despite all the hype and getting immense trust from Tom Brady himself, not everyone is doubling down on Mendoza’s skills.

“I don’t think he’s surefire at all. I like the Alabama guy [Ty Simpson] better,” an anonymous veteran NFL offensive coach told The Athletic’s Mike Sando.

Well, Ty Simpson is an elite QB, and he participated in the NFL Scouting Combine, too. But despite that, NFL.com assigned him a 6.28 prospect grade, which projects him as an “average starter,” whereas Mendoza didn’t even take part in the combine yet got a 6.73 grade.

But going by the history, top quarterback picks rarely deliver championship games. Over the last decade-plus, the No. 1 drafted QB didn’t lead their teams to a championship. Of the ten quarterbacks taken from 2008 to 2021, only Matthew Stafford, Cam Newton, and Joe Burrow reached the Super Bowl, and even among them, Stafford is the one who actually won the title. It remains to be seen if Fernando Mendoza can pull something similar to what he did at Indiana.