Kansas City defensive lineman Derrick Nnadi hopes to spread the joy of the Chiefs' Super Bowl win by picking up the adoption fees for dogs at a Kansas City rescue group.

"We're so honored to partner with @DerrickNnadi who is sponsoring the adoption fees of all of our adoptables dogs at our locations!" the Kansas City Pet Project posted on its website. "What an incredibly generous gesture and we want to thank Derrick for his support all season long."

CNN reported the gesture -- announced after the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the NFL championship game in Miami -- would cover the adoption fees of more than 100 dogs.

The group's adoption fee normally runs about $150, and a spokesperson told ESPN that 20 dogs had been adopted through the program as of Monday afternoon -- about double the number that might usually be adopted on an average work day.

Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs defender Derrick Nnadi, here celebrating the team's Super Bowl win over San Francisco, is marking the victory by paying the adoption fees for dogs in a Kansas City shelter Photo: GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / JAMIE SQUIRE

"All my life, I always wanted a dog," Nnadi, an American of Nigerian descent, told CNN. "Growing up, I didn't have a pet; my parents didn't really allow pets."

He finally got a dog, Rocky, in his final year of college.

"When I first got him, he was very timid," Nnadi said. "It made me think of how other animals, whether they're owned or in a shelter, are feeling scared and alone."

During the NFL regular season, he partnered with the shelter to pay for the adoption fee for one hard-to-adopt dog after each Chiefs victory.

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