Every season for the past 14 years, the NFL and USAA have partnered together to award one player with the Salute to Service Award. This award recognizes exceptional efforts made by members of the NFL family to honor and support the military community.
More news: Bills All-Pro Safety Announces Surprise Retirement
All 32 teams present a nominee, which was widdled down to three finalists for the 2024 season. Those finalists are Aaron Jones, Sr., Minnesota Vikings running back, George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers tight end, and Morgan Fox, Los Angeles Chargers defensive end.
The NFL and USAA have now revealed the winner of the prestigious Salute to Service Award, which is 49ers star tight end George Kittle.
Kittle will be recognized at the NFL Honors presented by Invisalign on Thursday, February 6 during the week of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. Including the honor of being named the recipient of the 14th Annual Salute to Service award, Kittle will receive a $25,000 donation in his name to aid societies representing each of the military branches.
The NFL Foundation will match USAA's donation of $25,000, which will be donated to Kittle's military charity of choice.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke on Kittle receiving this honor.
"George Kittle truly embodies the essence of the Salute to Service Award," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "His dedication to honoring service members and involvement with numerous military organizations makes him the perfect choice for this honor. The NFL family is proud of his dedication to give back to those who sacrifice for our country and congratulates him on this tremendous achievement."
USAA Senior Vice President and Head of Military Affairs, Major General (Ret.) John Richardson also praised Kittle for being named the recipient of the Salute to Service Award.
"George Kittle continues to show a deep and unwavering dedication to our service members, veterans, and their families through his military appreciation efforts which go beyond gestures and truly reflect a heartfelt commitment to those who have served our nation," said USAA Senior Vice President and Head of Military Affairs, Major General (Ret.) John Richardson. "Inspired by those in his own family who served, George has become a shining example for the NFL community of how to create lasting and genuine
connections with our military, and we salute him as this year's recipient of the Salute to Service Award presented by USAA."
In winning the award, Kittle also spoke about what it means to be the recipient of the award, especially after being nominated four times by the 49ers.
"I am incredibly thankful and honored to be this year's Salute to Service Award recipient. This is my fourth time being nominated by the 49ers, which is an absolute honor because it's important to me to show gratitude and support to the military," said George Kittle. "My appreciation for the military stems from watching my Uncle Pat serve multiple tours with the National Guard and seeing firsthand how much it impacted him and his family while he was overseas.
Without my family and their unwavering support, I would not be able to create these genuine and authentic relationships with the real heroes and the ones
who should be receiving this award, the active-duty members, Veterans, TAPS and families that have lost loved ones in the line of fire. The support you see for the military around the league is so important and the fact that guys on every team do it, not just the nominees, is awesome. We are allowed to live the lives we live here because of the sacrifices they make, so we're just trying to honor them, show our support,
and share as much love as we can."
More NFL:
Rams Star Puka Nacua Reacts to Shocking Cooper Kupp Announcement
For more on the 49ers, head to Newsweek Sports.
English (US) ·