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Dec 21, 2021 at 03:10 PM
Tim Twentyman
Senior Writer
Outside
linebacker Trey Flowers has been named the Detroit Lions 2021 Ed
Block Courage Award recipient.
The Ed Block Courage Award annually goes to a Lions player who
exemplifies sportsmanship or has overcome injury and/or adversity to excel on
the field.
"Trey has been in the NFL since 2015. During this time he
has had to overcome injury many times, and not only has he returned to play, he
has returned at a high level," Lions Head Athletic Trainer Kevin Bastin
said of Flowers. "During the rehabilitation of these injuries, he was
patient and disciplined in his approach, and also showed strength and courage
in the recovery process, which led to his successful return.
"These same intangibles that Trey showed during his
recovery process and return to play are the same ones that he uses with his
family unit and his community service. Trey routinely supports many of the
community initiatives of his fellow teammates and organization with passion and
sincerity. Trey's
dedication, professionalism, care, commitment and courage make him an excellent
representative of the Ed Block Courage Award for the Detroit Lions."
Signed by the Lions as a
free agent in 2019, Flowers had an instant impact as an edge rusher and elite
edge setter in the run game for the Lions' defense. He recorded 7.0 sacks and
21 quarterback hits to go with 51 total tackles in 15 games in his first season
in Detroit. He also quickly became a team leader in the locker room and a team
captain.
Flowers has had to deal with injuries the last two seasons. He
missed half of the 2020 season due to a fractured forearm, and played in just
seven games this season before being placed on Reserve/Injured earlier this
month due to a knee injury.
In 27 starts with the Lions over the last three seasons, Flowers
has recorded 10.5 sacks and 97 total tackles.
Outside of football, Flowers started his Flowers of the Future
Foundation, which provides academic scholarships for students in his hometown
of Huntsville, Alabama and here in Detroit.
He's been a previous
nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, and
has been vocal in the Detroit Lions Inspire Change Detroit Votes initiative,
including participating in the Lions Virtual Voter Education and Registration
Town Hall with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and RISE to Vote, and
acting as moderator in the Players Coalition and Michigan Voting "Your
Vote Matters: How to Cast Yours in Michigan" Virtual Town Hall with
Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist.
Other community programming Flowers has been committed to since
joining the Lions include participating in the team's Crucial Catch
initiatives, Character Playbook and Detroit Lions Season of Sharing events.
Previous Detroit Ed Block Award
Recipients include: LB Ken Fantetti (1984), G/T Keith
Dorney (1985), C Steve Mott (1986), CB Duane Galloway (1987), WR Carl Bland
(1988), LB Jimmy Williams (1989), CB Bruce McNorton (1990), G Mike Utley
(1991), G Ken Dallafior (1992) and C Kevin Glover (1993), LB Victor Jones
(1994), WR Aubrey Matthews (1995), S Bennie Blades (1996), T Ray Roberts
(1997), LB George Jamison (1998), DL Dan Owens (1999), DT James Jones (2000),
QB Charlie Batch (2001), FB Cory Schlesinger (2002), DE Robert Porcher (2003),
DE Jared DeVries (2004), LB Boss Bailey (2005), the late Lions' director of
security Ricky Sandoval (2006), RB Kevin Jones (2007), S Daniel Bullocks
(2008), T Jeff Backus (2009), K Jason Hanson (2010), QB Shaun Hill (2011), RB
Jahvid Best (2012), WR Nate Burleson (2013), WR Calvin Johnson (2014), RB
Joique Bell (2015), QB Matthew Stafford (2016), RB Ameer Abdullah (2017), DE
Kerry Hyder (2018), WR Kenny Golladay (2019), WR Marvin Jones Jr. (2020).
