NEW YORK (AP) — Nominees for the NFL's annual Salute to Service Award for this year include players, coaches, team executives, and even cheerleaders.
The award, sponsored by the league and USAA, recognizes current NFL personnel and alumni who demonstrate an exemplary commitment to honoring and supporting the military community. Each nominee is selected by his or her NFL club, with finalists scheduled to be announced in January. The recipient — last year, it was former NFL linebacker Donnie Edwards — will be recognized at NFL Honors, the prime-time awards special the week of the Super Bowl at which The Associated Press individual honors are announced.
As the presenting sponsor of the Salute to Service Award, USAA will contribute $25,000 in the recipient’s name to the official aid societies representing all five military branches. The NFL will match USAA’s contribution of $25,000, which will be donated to the award recipient’s military charity of choice.
“The 2020 nominees for the ‘Salute to Service Award presented by USAA’ demonstrate the depth and widespread appreciation and support for the military community across the NFL,” Tony Wells, USAA's chief brand officer and a former Marine officer, said as the nominees were revealed on Veterans Day.
“During a trying year for all Americans, each of these nominees deserves this moment of special recognition for their passionate support of those who chose to serve. We congratulate these nominees and say thank you to America’s military families.”
The nominees:
Arizona: Justin Pugh, guard
Atlanta: Steve Cannon, CEO
Baltimore: Ravens Cheerleaders
Buffalo: Harrison Phillips, defensive tackle
Carolina: Christian McCaffrey, running back
Chicago: Jimmy Graham, tight end
Cincinnati: Jim Turner, offensive line coach
Cleveland: Andy Janovich, fullback
Dallas: Charlotte Jones, executive vice president and chief brand officer
Denver: Andrew Beck, tight end
Detroit: Eric Hipple, former quarterback
Green Bay: Tom Bakken, equipment manager
Houston: Hannah and Cal McNair, owners
Indianapolis: Brian Decker, director of player development
Jacksonville: Sean Karpf, strength and conditioning associate
Kansas City: Eric Fisher, tackle
Las Vegas: Jerry Robinson, former linebacker
Los Angeles Chargers: James Collins, director of football/medical services
Los Angeles Rams: Andrew Whitworth, tackle
Miami: Malcolm Perry, wide receiver
Minnesota: Austin Cutting, long snapper
New England: Joe Cardona, long snapper
New Orleans: Latavius Murray, running Back
New York Giants: Michael Strahan, former defensive end
New York Jets: Steve Castleton, military and law enforcement team liaison
Philadelphia: George Mateo, game day staff supervisor
Pittsburgh: Jon Kolb, former tackle and coach
San Francisco: John Lynch, general manager
Seattle: Mike Flood, community outreach vice president
Tampa Bay: Ryan Jensen, center
Tennessee: Floyd Hyde, stadium safety manager
Washington: Ryan Kerrigan, linebacker
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
