FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots linebacker Brandon King has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 Ed Block Courage Award. The honor is bestowed annually upon a player or players who best exemplify the principles of courage and sportsmanship while also serving as a source of inspiration. King, along with award winners from the 31 other NFL teams, will be honored at the 44th Annual Ed Block Courage Awards Banquet. Details on the event will be determined at a later date.
King returned to the field this season after missing two full seasons while recovering from injuries. King played in 16 of the 17 regular season games in 2021, as well as the Wild Card game, and registered 10 special teams tackles. It marked the fourth time in his five full seasons that he has recorded 10 or more special teams tackles.
King, a veteran of seven NFL seasons and two-time Super Bowl Champion, originally joined the team as a rookie free agent out of Auburn in 2015.
Past New England Patriots Ed Block Courage Award recipients include Devin McCourty and James White (2020), Julian Edelman (2019), Nate Ebner (2018), Matthew Slater (2017), Nate Solder (2016), Jerod Mayo (2015), Rob Gronkowski (2014), Sebastian Vollmer (2013), Logan Mankins (2012), Marcus Cannon (2011), Wes Welker (2010) and Tom Brady (2009).
The Ed Block Courage Award is named after Ed Block, a long-time head athletic trainer for the Baltimore Colts and a respected humanitarian dedicated to helping children. Recipients are often players who have overcome devastating injuries or tragedies in their personal lives to return to top-level competition in the NFL.
Officially organized in 1986, the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that is sanctioned by the NFL and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS). The foundation is committed to heightening awareness of the plight of abused children in cities throughout the league. Proceeds from the annual Courage Awards event benefit the Foundation's Courage House National Support Network For Kids.
For more information on the Ed Block Courage Award, visit https://www.edblock.org/courage-award/.
