SUMMIT, N.J., June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA), the world’s largest private funder of lupus research, teamed up with Willie Colon, retired NFL Super Bowl Champion and current sports analyst with the NFL Network and FS1, to host the 12th Annual Willie Colon Golf Outing. The star-studded event has raised more than $3.28 million since its inception.

More than 300 golfers joined Mr. Colon at the annual fundraiser, held in honor of his late mother, Jean Davis, who had lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that impacts millions of people worldwide.

“As a child, I watched my mother try to cope with lupus at a time when there were no treatments developed specifically for the disease,” said Lupus Research Alliance Board member Mr. Colon.  “She and our family partnered with the Lupus Research Alliance to raise awareness and funding for this devastating disease. While no longer with us, my mom would have been so proud to see the treatments that research has helped deliver, and the advances getting us closer to a cure.”

The former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets lineman Mr. Colon was supported by sports stars, coaches, and media personalities raising funds to support innovative research aimed at improving diagnosis, treatment, and ultimately finding a cure for lupus. That included: Oday Aboushi (Los Angeles Rams); David Harris, Quincy Enwau, Chris Ivory (New York Jets); Amani Toomer, Jonathan Casillas, Mike Adams (New York Giants); Adalius Thomas (New England Patriots); Darnell Stapleton (Pittsburgh Steelers); Phil Alexander (Houston Texans); Brian Custer (ESPN), among others. 

During the evening award ceremony, Mr. Colon thanked the outing’s chairs who helped make this year’s golf outing and dinner so successful: Xavier V. Goss, Portfolio Manager, Capital Group; Ted Knauss, SVP, Market Leader – NNJ, NYC, CT Commercial Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking, The PNC Financial Services Group; Nidhi Patel, Portfolio Manager, BlackRock; and Julius D. Williams, Head of Municipal Trading, Senior Portfolio Manager, Invesco. The Lupus Research Alliance and Mr. Colon also expressed appreciation to primary sponsors Tunnels 2 Towers, Morgan Stanley, Texas Regional Bank, Mesirow Financial, Paul Miller Porsche, Tito’s Vodka, Corona, and Energy Capital Partners.

“We are so grateful to Willie, his family, and all who have supported his commitment to the lupus community,” Albert T. Roy, President and CEO of the Lupus Research Alliance, said. “For more than a decade, this outing has been a signature event for the LRA in raising both critical awareness of lupus and funds for the research to enable the development of curative treatments.”   

About Lupus
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. In lupus, the immune system, meant to defend against infections, produces autoantibodies that mistake the body’s own cells as foreign, causing other immune cells to attack organs such as the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, and skin, as well as blood and joints. Ninety percent of people with lupus are women, most often diagnosed between the ages of 15-45. Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander people are disproportionately affected by lupus.

About the Lupus Research Alliance
The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental, non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most innovative lupus research, fostering scientific talent, and driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and, ultimately, a cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research Alliance’s Board of Directors funds all administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of all donations go to support lupus research programs.

For more information or to donate to lupus research, visit the LRA at LupusResearch.org and on social media at: X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

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SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance