Lions' DeAndre Levy Auctioning Off Shoe Collection To Help Detroit's Homeless

By Ashley Scoby

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) DeAndre Levy is auctioning off his entire - and impressive - sneaker collection for charity.

The Lions' linebacker has spent years, dating back to his high school days, collecting rare and expensive shoes. But, as he told AOL Sports, that lifestyle isn't something he wants to be a part of anymore, and he's selling or donating his collection to benefit organizations fighting homelessness in Detroit.

Detroit Workers and Builders works to build the city back into a "stronger and more sustainable urban center," according to its website. The Empowerment Plan hires "mostly homeless parents" as seamstresses who are paid a living wage to manufacture a garment that can serve as a sleeping bag, coat and bag, which are then given to the homeless.

Levy told AOL Sports that he has 150 pairs of sneakers, but that he now really only wears one beat-up pair of gray Nikes.

"I'm making an effort to wear them until they no longer serve their function," he said. "Get an absolute full wear out of them until I need a new pair. My plan is to wait for the sole to split or something... More important things to focus on."

Starting bids for Levy's shoes are as low as $38 or as high as $400.

Levy has been getting plenty of attention for his eclectic off-the-field activities recently. In the Lions' first preseason game against the Jets, the TV announcers discussed the fact that Levy had dined on llama during the offseason.

And his Instagram account is full of photos of Levy sledding down an active volcano in Nicaragua, swimming in the Amazon River and holding a sloth in Peru, to name a few.

With those kinds of worldly sights in mind, 150 pairs of sneakers probably doesn't seem quite as exotic as they used to.