This NFL Player Just Spent $17,352 On Christmas Gifts For Needy Kids

The news: Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson decided to play the role of Santa Claus off the field this past weekend. Johnson picked 12 children and their siblings from Houston's child protective services to go on a toy-shopping spree, paid for entirely by him.

He gave the kids 80 seconds (in honor of his uniform number) to pull as many toys as they could off the Toys "R" Us shelves. On top of that, Johnson threw in a video game system and a pair of games. The total price tag? $17,352.

The backstory: This is not the first time Johnson has been generous during the holidays. The Andre Johnson Charitable Foundation has been doing this now for seven years running. In fact, this year's bill was slightly less than last year's, which came to $19,521.

Johnson does it, he said, because the holidays are a "time for giving."

"I like to give back and help people out," he said. "It just gives [the children] a chance to go through the store and get whatever they want … whatever they have on their Christmas list they can pick up. That's the reason I do it."

If only the Houston Texans were as good on the field as Andre Johnson is off it.