Nate Ebner named Patriots Ed Block Courage Award winner

FOXBORO – Nate Ebner was recognized as the Patriots 2018Ed Block Courage Award winner on Thursday.

The honor, which is given to one player on all 32 NFL teams, is awarded to a player who best exemplifies the principles of courage and sportsmanship while also serving as a source of inspiration. Ebner and the 31 other recipients will be honored at the 41st Annual Ed Block Courage Awards Banquet in Baltimore on March 23.

Ebner is coming off a difficult 2017 [...]

FOXBORO – Nate Ebner was recognized as the Patriots 2018Ed Block Courage Award winner on Thursday.

The honor, which is given to one player on all 32 NFL teams, is awarded to a player who best exemplifies the principles of courage and sportsmanship while also serving as a source of inspiration. Ebner and the 31 other recipients will be honored at the 41st Annual Ed Block Courage Awards Banquet in Baltimore on March 23.

Ebner is coming off a difficult 2017 season where he suffered a torn ACL in Week 12 on Nov. 26, 2017. Knee injuries that late in the season can push a player back to a delayed start the following year. Ebner, however, played in 15 of the Patriots 16 games this year.

In 2016, Ebner was named to the 2016 second Team All-Pro as a special teams ace after leading the Patriots with 16 special teams tackles. This season, he once again led the Patriots with 13 special teams tackles. Ebner’s had 10 or more special teams tackles in every season of his career except for last year due to the knee injury.

The Ed Block Courage Award is named after Ed Block, an athletic trainer for the Baltimore Colts who dedicated his life to helping children.