Held at the Hilton Washington, the evening kicked off
with a silent auction from 5 to 6:15 p.m., where attendees could bid on NFL memorabilia
like signed jerseys, with the proceeds benefiting Special Olympics D.C. Dinner
started at 6:30 and featured appearances by M.C.s James Brown of CBS’s The NFL Today and Washington
Post columnist Michael Wilbon, as well as a performance by Dem Boyz, a step team
featured in the film Stomp the Yard.
Jones ran videos of past award winners and footage from an NFL-Special Olympics football clinic as a way to keep the audience focused while the stage was being set again for the live auction; items up for bid included a V.I.P. Super Bowl package containing airline tickets to the 2008 championship, game tickets, and more. And at the end of the closing statements, Jones gave guests the choice of calling it a night or heading upstairs for dessert and mingling.