Bobby Hurley sparks ALS Pepper Challenge trend at Arizona State, Herm Edwards follows

First there was the Ice Bucket Challenge. A viral trend where people would videotape themselves getting doused with a bucket full of ice water, then challenge others to do the same and donate to ALS research.

The challenge has shifted from cold water to spicy peppers with the new #ALSPepperChallenge.

The pepper challenge was started by NBA writer Tom Haberstroh, whose mother was diagnosed with ALS, and has caught traction with celebrities such as Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra taking part.

On Tuesday, the challenge made its way to Tempe after ASU coach Bobby Hurley received the challenge from his brother Dan, who is the head coach at Rhode Island.

Hurley didn’t seem phased. He kept waiting for the kick of heat, almost looking shocked that he didn’t feel anything. And after the challenge, unlike Dan, who started chugging a gallon of milk, Hurley grabbed his favorite sideline refreshment, a Diet Coke, and drank it gingerly as if he was washing down a nice lunch.

Before he ate the pepper, the ASU basketball coach went ahead and forwarded the challenge to the ASU women’s basketball coach, Charli Turner Thorne, who said she accepted the challenge on Wednesday.

Hurley also challenged ASU’s head football coach, Herm Edwards, who hardly let any time go by before he too had a big chuck of Jalapeño in his mouth.

Edwards pitted himself against the pepper on Wednesday morning and, like Hurley, didn’t really seemed phased with the heat. Maybe those two should have went with a habanero pepper, or at least something a little spicier.

Edwards handled the pepper like a champ, but while ending the video, after passing along the challenge to Sun Devil wrestling coach Zeke Jones, the rookie head coach exclaimed: “Forks Up!”

You can donate to the fund that Haberstroh set up for ALS research right here.