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Ryan Reynolds teams up with major NFL star Dak Prescott for new cancer campaign

Blake Lively's husband has teamed up with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance

Ryan Reynolds attends the 2023 Bring Change To Mind Gala at City Winery on October 09, 2023 in New York City
Rebecca Lewis
Rebecca Lewis - Los Angeles
ReporterLos Angeles
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Ryan Reynolds may be new best friends with Travis Kelce but it's Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott that the Hollywood star has teamed up with for an important new campaign. 

The Deadpool actor's production company has helped to produce a new video that calls on men and women to help break down the stigma around colon cancer screening, after Dak's mother died from the disease. 

"S**t Talk" has been released just ahead of the much-anticipated Cowboys vs. Eagles game on Sunday December 10, and cleverly uses the NFL rivalries and banter between players and fans – "you've had more turnovers than a bake sale!" – to drive home the hard truth about needing to be screened after the age of 45. 

Watch the full video below…

Dak Prescott calls on viewers to get screened for colon cancer

In the video, Dak explains how to complete a home test and makes it fun by asking viewers to place a sticker of something they don't like before trolling his fiercest competitors by suggesting perhaps marine life (Miami Dolphins), a predatory bird (the Eagles), or "old-timey prospectors" (the 49ers). 

Ryan's company and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance have teamed up to launch a series of new videos called LEAD FROM BEHIND, all featuring celebrities in sports and entertainment to spread awareness that colon cancer is The Preventable Cancer and that there are a variety of screening options. 

Colorectal cancer starts in the colon or the rectum these cancers can also be called colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where they start. Most colorectal cancers start as a growth on the inner lining of the colon or rectum. These growths are called polyps, and some types of polyps can change into cancer over time (usually many years), but not all polyps become cancer. 

Finding cancer early, when it's small and hasn't spread, often allows for more treatment options. 

 Dak Prescott #15 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2012© Butch Dill
Dak Prescott #15 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2012

Dak's mom Peggy died of colon cancer in November 2013 when Dak was a sophomore at Mississippi State University. He launched the Faith Fight Finish Foundation in her honor, which helps people deal with adversity. 

He joined the Cowboys in 2016 and became their starting quarterback after starter Tony Romo was injured in the preseason. He set several rookie quarterback records, earning him Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2016, and in 2022, he won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, which honors a player's commitment to philanthropy and community impact. 

Dak Prescott holds a pot for cancer screening© Maximum Effort
Dak Prescott has teamed up with Ryan Reynolds and Colorectal Cancer Alliance

“I’d like to thank Dak for joining Rob McElhenney, Terry Crews, and me in helping raise awareness for dropping your drawers,” Ryan, who has previously worked with Rob on a video that took viewers behind the scenes of a colonoscopy, said. 

"This is a highly preventable cancer and the more we advocate for and destigmatize the colorectal screening process, the more real lives are saved."

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