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Martellus Bennett designs, pays for Chicago high school's basketball state championship rings

Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers

It's been two years since Martellus Bennett played for the Chicago Bears, but when he saw that a Chicago high school basketball team needed some help, he didn't hesitate to get involved.

Morgan Park High School won the Illinois Class 3A boys' basketball state championship in March, but the school didn't have the money to buy the rings commemorating its title and Chicago Public Schools wasn't able to help. 

Morgan Park's athletic director, Michael Berger, took to Twitter to ask for donations to help the team afford its rings.

Fenwick High School, which Morgan Park defeated in the state championship, chipped in, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The Sun-Times reports that comedian Hannibal Buress, a Chicago native, was the first celebrity to donate. Bennett was next. 

Bennett, who still lives in Chicago's northern suburbs, according to the Sun-Times, foot the bill for the rings and designed them himself.

Basketball coach Nick Irvin let the Green Bay Packers tight end deliver the news to his players via FaceTime.

"I put him up on the big screen and let him tell the kids," Irvin told the Sun-Times. "They knew who he was right away and got really excited. They were so happy, it was great to see their reaction. That is a blessing right there."

On Saturday, Bennett posted an image of the rings on Instagram, congratulating Morgan Park and thanking everyone who gave to the team. 

Morgan Park's rings were the first piece of jewelry Bennett has designed. However, he's already shown his creative prowess through his multimedia production company, The Imagination Agency.

-- Alex Tekip

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