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Josh Myers named Packers' 2024 Ed Block Courage Award winner

Fourth-year center and team leader has battled through his toughest season personally

JoshMyersAward

GREEN BAY – Josh Myers has been named the Packers' 2024 winner of the Ed Block Courage Award.

The award recognizes NFL players who best exemplify commitments to the principles of sportsmanship and courage and is voted on by the players themselves. Each team recognizes an annual recipient for his professionalism, strength and dedication, and for being a role model in the community.

Founded more than 40 years ago, the award is named for Ed Block, the head athletic trainer of the Baltimore Colts from 1954-77 who earned a Purple Heart for his service in World War II under General George S. Patton.

The Packers awarded Myers during the team meeting Wednesday morning. Director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer Nate Weir presented it to Myers, who lost his father to lung cancer in July and has battled through wrist and pectoral injuries for much of the season, missing just one game.

In a brief chat with packers.com after Wednesday's practice, Myers acknowledged this has been the most difficult season of his football career, physically and emotionally.

"I think so, yeah, just being from both sides," he said. "I played a lot of games in there not healthy, and then just everything that happened with my dad earlier this year. It's been a really hard year, and I appreciate (the award).

"It means more than anything else. I kind of view it the way when I was elected captain at Ohio State. I can remember vividly thinking this means more to me than basically any other honor I could've gotten. It feels a bit like that."

Injury-wise, Myers initially hurt his left wrist at Jacksonville in Week 8 and gutted through the rest of the game. He missed the following week's game vs. Detroit but hasn't missed another since, despite soon after the Packers' bye landing on the injury report again for several weeks with a pectoral injury.

Myers' father Brad, who played offensive line in college and introduced him to the game of football, had fought liver cancer and received a liver transplant in 2023, only to have the cancer return to his lungs this past summer, resulting in a terminal diagnosis. Myers reported to training camp, returned home to Ohio for a few days to say goodbye and again to attend the funeral, and then was back with the team.

Myers has helped anchor an offense that ranks among the league's top 10 in numerous categories, including rushing yards (fifth) and fewest sacks allowed (second with 19). Off the field, he also participated in a Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) event for families of fallen military members during Salute to Service week.

Head Coach Matt LaFleur referred to Myers earlier this season as part of the Packers' "heart and soul." On Wednesday, good friend and quarterback Jordan Love called it "very special" for Myers to receive the award.

"What better person to get it than Josh," Love told packers.com. "When Nate our trainer got up there and talked about the award, and what it means to win that award and battle through adversity in life and personal things that might be going on, Josh obviously has dealt with that this year in his family.

"For him to be able to handle that adversity, and be able to show up here every day and be the pro that he is and still put in the work and not let that affect his work life, has been huge. I've been through definitely a similar situation, and it's not easy. So for him to do that means a lot."

Myers, a second-round draft pick in 2021, has been Love's center the past two seasons for all but the one game he missed this year, and he praised Myers' leadership, particularly on the offensive line. Myers has started 54 of the Packers' last 55 games, including playoffs, dating back to QB Aaron Rodgers' tenure.

"NFL center, that's the quarterback of the O-line right there," Love said. "He's the one making all the calls and making sure those guys are always on point and know where they're going. He is definitely a leader in that aspect.

"The amount of focus and preparation and just how dialed in he has to be, with understanding what the defense is doing, understanding all the calls he's got to make, it takes a lot, and I don't think at that position you get a lot of recognition. He's a pro and he's been going about his business the right way. There's a lot of stuff on his plate that I don't like a lot of people really recognize."

Packers' previous Ed Block Courage Award winners
(listed in reverse chronological order, 2023-1984)

Rashan Gary, De'Vondre Campbell, Aaron Jones, Billy Turner, Mason Crosby, Aaron Rodgers, Mike Daniels, Jayrone Elliott, Sam Barrington, Jordy Nelson, Johnny Jolly, Tramon Williams, T.J. Lang, Charles Woodson, Nick Collins, Mark Tauscher, Chris Francies, Jon Ryan, Donald Driver, Marco Rivera, Gilbert Brown, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Santana Dotson, Josh Bidwell, Earl Dotson, Craig Newsome, Robert Brooks, Brett Favre, Reggie White, George Teague, Johnny Holland, Tootie Robbins, Vai Sikahema, Perry Kemp, Herman Fontenot, Mark Murphy, Keith Uecker, Karl Swanke, Ezra Johnson, Ron Cassidy

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