NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION AND MORRIS ANIMAL REFUGE TEAM UP FOR ANIMAL PLANET'S "ROAD TO PUPPY BOWL DRAFT ADOPTION EVENT" IN PHILADELPHIA ON APRIL 26

-Philadelphia Eagles and Draft-Eligible Players Expected to Join Puppy Bowl Draft Event-

-Portions of Draft Event to Stream Live on Animal Planet and Puppy Bowl Facebook Pages-

NFL draft fever comes to Animal Planet with the ROAD TO PUPPY BOWL DRAFT ADOPTION EVENT at Philadelphia's Morris Animal Refuge on Wed. April 26 from 2-5 PM/ET. Animal Planet is teaming up with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and Morris Animal Refuge to help puppies and animals of all size, shape and breed find their forever homes.

Beginning at 3PM at Morris Animal Refuge, Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ron Brooks, linebackers Mychal Kendricks and Najee Goode and running back Terrell Watson will join NFL hopeful Dion Dawkins (Temple University) to evaluate all the prospective draft puppy players to represent Team Ruff and Team Fluff for this event and help attendees make their picks from the lineup of adoptable animals. Fourteen lucky four-legged MVP's will hear their names called, get added to the draft board and learn their new home teams. Puppy Bowl enthusiasts can catch portions of the ROAD TO PUPPY BOWL DRAFT ADOPTION EVENT, live, on both the Animal Planet and Puppy Bowl Facebook pages.

Animal Planet will cover the adoption fees at Morris Animal Refuge for all animals during the Puppy Bowl draft event and will send adopting families home with an exclusive "Wag Bag," a gift bag of puppy goodies and products. An Animal Planet Puppy Bowl referee will also be on hand to pose for pictures with families and their draftee for the Animal Planet social media accounts, including Instagram (@animalplanet), Snapchat (animalplanettv) and Twitter (@animalplanet). In addition to live social media coverage on Animal Planet's Instagram and Puppy Bowl Facebook page, post-event video will be on rotation at www.animalplanet.com.

For more information and to register for the draft event, please visit www.R2PBDraft2017.com.

Going into its 14th year, Puppy Bowl has owned the world's cutest sporting television event, dominating as the #1 cable telecast on Super Bowl Sunday among viewers and key demos while outperformed programming on ABC, NBC, CBS and all of cable, behind only FOX and its Super Bowl coverage. Every Super Bowl Sunday, two teams of the fluffiest and cuddliest line barkers and wide retrievers take to the gridiron for a playful game of ear tugs, tackles and tumbles. Representing rescues from across the country, these adoptable four-legged players that make up #TeamRuff and #TeamFluff are serious when it comes to taking home the Lombarky trophy for the title of Most Valuable Puppy (MVP) title and more importantly... their furever homes.

About Animal Planet

Animal Planet, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the network of hit franchise series and special programming dedicated to animals and the natural world that includes RIVER MONSTERS, DR. JEFF: ROCKY MOUNTAIN VET, PIT BULLS & PAROLEES, TREEHOUSE MASTERS, THE VET LIFE and PUPPY BOWL, the largest non-sports TV event on Super Bowl Sunday. Animal Planet is the premiere TV, digital and social community for all things animal, providing immersive, engaging, high-quality content across all Animal Planet platforms including: Animal Planet television network, available in more than 90 million homes in the U.S., that is complimented with a deep Video On Demand offering; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for animal lovers and pet owners; the Animal Planet Go app that allows viewers to catch up on full episodes of their favorite shows anytime anywhere; Animal Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access via live cameras around the globe in a variety of animal habitats; Animal Planet Social including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via @AnimalPlanet and on Snapchat as AnimalPlanetTV.

About the NFL Players Association

The NFL Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players' interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected - including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players, and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through 2020. For additional details, please visit www.nflpa.com.

About Morris Animal Refuge

America's First Animal Shelter has been helping the Philadelphia area's homeless pets since 1874, and no animal has ever been turned away from our doors. Located at 12th and Lombard in the heart of Center City, The Morris Animal Refuge offers innovative and high quality care for cats, dogs, and other small animals. We provide a full range of preventative, protective, and adoption services for neglected, abused, and abandoned animals. The Morris Animal Refuge is a non-profit charitable organization. Morris relies on the support of foundations, corporations, and especially the generosity of concerned citizens and animal lovers to help provide a second chance and forever homes for animals in need in the Philadelphia Area.