The Philadelphia Eagles underwent their most chaotic off-season in team history, so it’s understandable if most people overlooked the effect new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s Wide-9 alignment potentially could have on the city’s live music scene. There was talk that outside linebacker Connor Barwin would be traded to a team that runs a more traditional 3-4, but he appears set as a hybrid edge rusher. This is important because Philadelphia indie rock was at risk of losing its biggest supporter—literally speaking, of course.

Unless Dario Saric’s eventual arrival in the state coincides with him going through a serious Sheer Mag phase, the title is safe with the 264-pound, 6’4” Pro Bowler, who’s not only become a fixture at local shows but a public proponent for the scene as well. On June 3, Barwin’s Make the World Better Foundation will host its third annual benefit concert, with Philly’s own Hop Along and Waxahatchee co-headlining. In the past, MTWB has featured Kurt Vile, Parquet Courts, and Mac DeMarco, and has raised nearly $500,000 for Philadelphia’s public parks.

When Barwin left the Houston Texans to sign with the Eagles in 2013, he set certain goals for himself—the culmination of which was founding MTWB. “I was 27 and I thought it was time to take a leadership role,” Barwin says over the phone, while visiting his hometown of Detroit. “I understand the opportunities I have being an NFL player, especially in the city of Philly. I took my three passions—sports, music, and active play in the community—and tried to connect them all together.”

Barwin’s gateway into indie rock didn’t arrive via a cooler older brother or “120 Minutes” or the Spin Alternative Record Guide. While playing both football and basketball at the University of Cincinnati, Barwin was “barely listening to anything.” But during an injury-plagued rookie season in 2010, Barwin befriended one of the Houston Texans’ intern trainers and became familiar with the city’s live venues and local bands. By 2013, Grantland had dubbed Barwin “the NFL’s Modern Man,” a moonlighting music critic who befriended Father John Misty, and more importantly, a supporter of marriage equality and energy conservation.

Perhaps a public interest in semi-obscure guitar music and vaguely liberal politics seems to some like little reason for headlines, but remember: This is the NFL, a league whose public face was the painfully milquetoast Peyton Manning. At best, Peyton was self-aware about his dorkiness; at worst, the future Hall of Famer is accused of being a sexual harasser and a sociopath. Tom Brady brags about being good friends with Donald Trump, while his favorite target is a guy celebrated for embodying the boobs, blondes, and beers fantasy of a Trump-era comedy caper.

Maybe indie rock will never infiltrate the NFL further than a charitable Arcade Fire co-sign (and maybe it shouldn’t), but for now, in their own small ways, the Eagles reflect the city’s status as the current capital of American rock ‘n’ roll. At Barwin’s behest, teammate Bryan Braman attended recent Parquet Courts and Alex G shows (as seen above), and he’s also been accompanied out by offensive lineman Jason Kelce and linebacker Mychal Kendricks. “Kendricks had this epiphany the first time he went out with me; I remember him saying to Sean [Agnew, promoter at Philly venue Union Transfer], ‘I’m really into live music!’,” Barwin recalls. “I had this same thing [with my teammates] in Houston, and people always have a good time.”