For Kendall Simmons, social media has opened the door to charitable giving.

The first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers sports two Super Bowl rings that he earned protecting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. After starting more than 80 games for the Steelers, Simmons signed with the Bills in 2009 but an injury ended his time with the team less than a month into his tenure. For Simmons, his time in Buffalo may have been brief, but his connection remains strong, thanks to an unlikely source - LinkedIn.

Like many football players, he has another passion: golf. That game "linked" him back to Buffalo.

I caught up with Simmons last week as he arrived in Florida last for a charity event to talk about life after football.

"One of my friends was telling me about this social networking site, LinkedIn, and telling me I should get on there," he explained.

After building a profile, which included both his passion for golf and his connection to Buffalo, he joined the network of Buffalo attorney Joe Hanna, founder and president of Bunkers in Baghdad. It's a charity that collects golf balls and clubs and sends them to troops serving overseas.

The two began to talk, and in addition to bonding over golf and football, they found a mutual interest in charity work. Simmons was diagnosed with diabetes early in his NFL career and he founded Swing 4 Diabetes, an annual golf tournament that raises money for research.

"I'm addicted to golf," he said with a laugh. When I asked about his handicap, he gave an answer that every dad can relate to, whether you play the game or not.

"I'm gonna give you the before and after," he said. "My oldest is seven, so before she was born, I was probably around a six or a seven (handicap). But now I'm anywhere between a 12 and a 15."

With both men sharing a love for golf, as well as a desire to channel that love into a charitable project, an online friendship was born.

"What he is doing, I've never heard of anything like it. It is amazing to me," Simmons says, referring to Hanna's charity.

For his part, Simmons says he has donated clubs and now spreads the word about Bunkers in Baghdad via his growing network on LinkedIn. Likewise, Hanna has returned the favor, offering support for the former lineman's charity tournament.

With New York Congressman Anthony Weiner getting a lot of ink this week over his sordid use of social media, it's nice to see that some good can come out of the connections we make online.