MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 25, 2026--
Rich Eisen, one of the most recognizable voices in sports media, brought his iconic “ Run Rich Run ” 40-yard dash to the campus of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, for the first time in the event’s 21-year history, marking a milestone in a partnership that has raised more than $7 million to support the global mission of St. Jude and families facing childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. “Run Rich Run” aired today, during NFL Network’s coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
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Since 2015, Eisen and his national platform across television, radio and streaming have turned “Run Rich Run” into a powerful fundraising movement, helping ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live.
While the run is traditionally filmed at iconic football venues such as the Rose Bowl, this year it took place on the St. Jude campus in Memphis, where nearly 1,000 patients, families, researchers and staff cheered Eisen on, creating a powerful, full-circle connection between a national sports tradition and the community it supports.
“Being on the St. Jude campus for ‘Run Rich Run’ was overwhelming in the best way,” said Rich Eisen. “To see the energy and meet the families and the people working so hard to make sure parents don’t see a bill from St. Jude and their kids get the care they need, there’s no place like St. Jude. I’ll never forget it.”
NFL legends and current players, including Delanie Walker, Alex Singleton, Calvin Austin III and Joey Slye attended, highlighting the connection between football, media and purpose that has defined Eisen’s partnership with St. Jude.
“Rich has taken a tradition that NFL fans know and love and brought it directly to the patients, families, researchers, physicians, and care teams it supports each year,” said Ike Anand, President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. “Having St. Jude families and staff there to cheer him on in person brought that impact into focus. It showed first-hand what his commitment makes possible — helping St. Jude advance lifesaving research and care for children in the United States and around the world.”
“Run Rich Run” included support from the NFL Play 60 initiative, which has partnered with St. Jude since 2007. In addition, Shaw Sports Turf, a division of Shaw Industries and longtime corporate partner and supporter of St. Jude, provided custom turf to transform a main thoroughfare through the campus into the setting for Eisen’s 40-yard dash.
Eisen, host of The Rich Eisen Show and a cornerstone of NFL Network, first ran the 40-yard dash at the 2005 NFL Combine. What began as a lighthearted on-air moment has grown into an annual tradition tied to the NFL Draft and one of the most anticipated segments in football media.
Moments like this highlight how platforms in sports and media can support the research and care at St. Jude, helping extend lifesaving treatments and discoveries to help more of the 400,000 children around the world who develop cancer each year.
Donate to support Rich Eisen and help advance the mission of St. Jude at StJude.org/RunRichRun.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ®
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. ® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80% in the U.S., and it won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rich Eisen, one of the most recognizable voices in sports media, brings his iconic “Run Rich Run” 40-yard dash to the campus of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, April 11, 2026. Filming the event at St. Jude was the first time in the event’s 21-year history, marking a milestone in a partnership that has raised more than $7 million to support the global mission of St. Jude and families facing childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was uninjured and other top White House officials were evacuated from an annual dinner of the White House correspondents association on Saturday night after an unspecified threat. There did not immediately appear to be any injuries, and one law enforcement official said a shooter had opened fire.
Authorities said the incident occurred outside the ballroom where Trump and other guests were seated. It was not immediately clear what happened. The event was scrapped and will be rescheduled.
The FBI said the shooter is in custody and that its Washington field office is responding to the shooting.
Trump posted on Truth Social that he would give a statement at the White House tonight.
Compiling accurate and thorough information on a shooting takes time. Reporters are working to piece together the details from eyewitness accounts, authorities and other sources.
Here's the Latest:
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife, Kelly, were at the event and grateful for the law enforcement and first responders “who acted so quickly to bring the situation under control.”
“Praying for our country tonight,” said Johnson, R-La., on social media.
“FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT,” said the House GOP on its account on the social platform X.
“House Republicans unite in praying for those who were in harm’s way,” it said.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he was “thankful for the swift law enforcement action to protect everyone” at the dinner, as he also called for an end to violence.
“The violence and chaos in America must end,” said Jeffries, D-N.Y.
Weijia Jiang, the senior White House correspondent at CBS News and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, addressed the crowded room of journalists after the president had left.
She said the president would be holding a press briefing at the White House soon and that he insisted the dinner be rescheduled within the next 30 days. Jiang also said the president had wanted to continue with the event but had to follow security protocols.
Jiang, who had been sitting on the dais next to Trump when the incident unfolded, also emphasized the public service nature of journalism, saying that “when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it.”
“On a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are,” she said. “Thank God everybody is safe and thank you for coming together tonight. We’ll do this again.”
The FBI said the shooter is in custody and that its Washington field office is responding to the shooting.
The city’s Metropolitan Police Department posted a social message that said its officers are at the scene and coordinating with federal law enforcement.
“We will provide updated information once confirmed,” the message said.
Attendees were eating a spring pea and burrata salad, and waiters had begun preparing to bring out the next course when a security detail appeared on the ballroom floor and yelled for everyone to get down. Journalists in gowns and tuxedos ducked near tables as wine splattered onto white tablecloths and glasses clinked in the hurry to seek safety.
Armed security burst through the doors of the ballroom and raced toward the dais where Trump sat as attendees ducked or crouched under tables. At one point, someone in the room shouted, “USA!”
Trump said that a “shooter has been apprehended” in a post to Truth Social about 30 minutes following a security incident at the White House correspondents’ dinner.
Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance were uninjured in the incident.
Dinner organizers said there will be an “announcement shortly, we will be resuming shortly” from the stage. Most attendees are closed inside the ballroom and can’t leave.
A block from the White House, party-goers headed to the Renwick Museum were instead gathered at police tape as the streets and sidewalks were blocked off. Police cars tore up and down the block, sirens blaring. A helicopter buzzed overhead.
Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the White House Correspondents Dinner. It has typically been focused on the ballroom — rather than the hotel at large — with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself.
In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.
The banquet hall, where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s speech, was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building as people were allowed to leave but not reenter. Security outside was also extremely tight.
It was not immediately clear what happened. A law enforcement official confirmed there was a shooter but no further details were immediately available.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro posted a short video from the hotel after the incident, saying, “I have been taken out of the ballroom after the sound of the shots fired. The Secret Service is now in charge of this building, this hotel. I just spoke to Mayor Muriel Bowser. She is on her way, and (Police) Chief Jeffery Carroll is on his way. He will be in charge as soon as he gets here.”
Secret service agents respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
First lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump attend the annual White House Correspondents Dinner at the Washington Hilton, Saturday, March 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
Law enforcement are seen outside the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
