Weddle’s jewelry line sparkles for a cause

Eric Weddle has a jewelry line.

Not sure those six words ever thought they'd be arranged in that order, but it's true.

The Chargers safety sells necklaces, bracelets and earrings among other items -- and you best believe they shine and sparkle.

Perhaps this surprises you. Perhaps, given his mohawk and Paul Bunyan-beard, Weddle is the last Charger you'd expect to attach his name to a collection of women's accessories.

Here's the thing, though. The motivation behind all this? It's about as manly as it gets.

"I don't receive anything for it, and I don't need to," said Weddle, a four-time NFL All-Pro. "The best thing I can receive is saving someone's life or getting someone out of a bad relationship."

In two days, the Chargers will play the Ravens, and that can't help but trigger flashbacks. You can't see Baltimore on the schedule and not be reminded of Ray Rice clocking his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City elevator.

View the Video Chargers Roundtable - Ravens

The fallout from that incident ranks as the National Football League's biggest public-relations disaster to date, and Weddle wasn't bashful in expressing his discontent. Tweeted the two-time Pro Bowler in September: "As a husband, father and player I'm embarrassed to be associated with the NFL right now!"

Strong words from the eight-year veteran, but not as strong as the actions that ensued. Taking notice of Weddle's frustration was good friend Patrick Pickford, who met Eric playing pick-up basketball six years ago.

Pickford recently helped launch Evolution Lighthouse -- a San Diego-based jewelry company that works with charities to help raise awareness on a variety of issues. Its first major venture? Take on domestic violence.

So Pickford reached out to Weddle and asked if he could attach his name to some of his items. All proceeds would go toward aiding victims of DV or preventing further abuse.

Pickford may or may not have finished his sentence before Weddle told him yes. And so now the bearded one is also the beaded, blinged bedazzled one.

This was quite amusing to Chargers such as Corey Liuget, Darrell Stuckey and Brandon Flowers, who figured Weddle would associate himself with jewelry the same day Mike McCoy replaced Jimmy Kimmel. But when they heard about the cause, their astonishment instantly morphed into admiration.

"That's awesome," Stuckey said three consecutive times. "And it's going to encourage and build awareness in a way that's glamorous and happy."

Have a professional sports league with 53-man rosters spread over 32 teams, and your occasional atrocity is inevitable. In the NFL, however, domestic violence sped right past problem and became a borderline epidemic.

The one silver lining, it seemed, was that the spotlight on DV would spark discussion and help curtail it down the line. You want to know the scary thing, though? We've essentially stopped talking about it.

Fivethirtyeight.com recently detailed how there are fewer mentions of domestic violence in NFL-related news articles now than before the Ray Rice video surfaced. Bottom line: The abuse won't stop if the conversation does, too.

Evolution Lighthouse knows this. That's why Saturday at 4 p.m.., the company will team up with Chargers blog BoltsBlitz for first official domestic violence get together at Taste and Thirst in the Gaslamp.

Besides having the chance to sample Weddle's jewelry and order it on site, fans who show up and donate $10 get a free #tackleDV Charger-themed bracelet.

Taste and Thirst will also be donating a percentage of its sales from the event to victims. You can find more information at evolutionlighthouse.com.

In the meantime, Weddle is going to focus on winning a football game and inching the Chargers closer to the playoffs. But regardless of the final score, he can take solace in the fact that he's helping people in need.

Weddle's made a career out of stopping offenses. Stopping domestic violence, however, goes a whole lot further.