FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was selected as the recipient of the 2019 Ed Block Courage Award. The honor is bestowed annually upon a player who best exemplifies the principles of courage and sportsmanship while also serving as a source of inspiration. Edelman and award winners from the 31 other NFL teams will be honored at the 42nd Annual Ed Block Courage Awards Banquet in Baltimore on March 28, 2020.
Edelman returned to action in 2018 after missing the 2017 season due to a knee injury and helped lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl title. He became the seventh wide receiver to be named Super Bowl MVP after catching 10 passes for 141 yards as the focal point of the offense in the Patriots victory over the Los Angeles Rams. He battled through injuries throughout the 2019 season, but managed to finish fifth in the NFL with 100 receptions and set a career-high with 1,117 receiving yards.
Edelman originally joined the Patriots as a seventh-round draft pick out of Kent State in 2009. A college quarterback, Edelman transitioned to a wide receiver and a punt returner after entering the NFL. He has produced two 100-reception seasons and three 1,000-yard seasons and also holds the franchise records with four punt returns for a touchdown and has the highest single-season punt return average in team history with 15.5 yards per return set in 2012. Edelman also is second in NFL postseason history to Jerry Rice with 118 receptions for 1,442 yards.
Some recent New England Patriots Ed Block Courage Award recipients include 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, please visit http://edblock.org/.
