Cleveland Browns OL Kevin Zeitlerhas been selected by his teammates to receive the 2017 Ed Block Courage Award. The Ed Block Courage Award is given annually to a member of each of the 32 NFL teams who exemplifies the qualities of Ed Block, the former head athletic trainer of the Baltimore Colts, based on courage, compassion, commitment and community.
"Kevin is an exceptional leader on our team through the example he provides his teammates of consistently doing things the right way with his consummate professionalism, steady demeanor and dedication to his craft," said Head Coach Hue Jackson. "Kevin will and has done everything in his power to be on the field battling alongside his teammates, and we are fortunate to have someone of his caliber represent the Browns both on and off the field."
Zeitler has started all 12 games this season and played every potential offensive snap, despite undergoing a procedure to address a thumb injury sustained in the season opener and receiving treatment for it through Week 6. The sixth-year veteran from Wisconsin signed with the Browns as one of the league's top unrestricted free agents this past offseason after playing in 72 games with 71 starts for the Bengals, who selected him in the first round (No. 27 overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Since joining Cleveland, Zeitler has also been active in Browns Give Back's efforts in the Northeast Ohio community and the team's commitment to education, youth football and the First and Ten volunteering movement.
Zeitler will be presented the 2017 Ed Block Courage Award tonight at the Providence House Annual Deck the House Benefit Auction at FirstEnergy Stadium, where the dinner program will begin at 6 p.m. OL Joe Thomas and his wife, Annie, will serve as honorary co-chairs for the event. Providence House has been the Cleveland Browns Courage House for Children since 1999.
Providence House fights to end child abuse and neglect by protecting at-risk children, empowering families in crisis and building safe communities for every child. For more information, visit www.provhouse.org.
Through Browns Give Back, the Cleveland Browns are dedicated to #give10 through the team's First and Ten initiative. Launched in June 2014, the Cleveland Browns First and Ten campaign is the team's community program, established to inspire fans to volunteer in and help their communities throughout the world by volunteering for 10 hours each year. Through First and Ten, the Browns are the only NFL club to promote a long-term volunteering program that unifies the team and its entire fan base, with the goal of impacting every individual's city across the globe, as well as the franchise's local community. All Browns fans are encouraged to join the volunteering effort by signing the First and Ten pledge on the team's website and by sharing their stories with #give10. For more information or to sign the pledge, visit www.clevelandbrowns.com/community.
Cleveland Browns Ed Block Courage Award winners:
1984 WR Willis Adams
1985 DE Carl Hairston
1986 TE Ozzie Newsome
1987 RB Earnest Byner
1988 LB Eddie Johnson
1989 T Cody Risien
1990 RB Kevin Mack
1991 CB Mark Harper
1992 WR Lawyer Tillman
1993 WR Patrick Rowe
1994 LB Carl Banks
1995 DB Bennie Thompson
1999 DE Derrick Alexander
2000 LB Jamir Miller
2001 OG Jeremy McKinney
2002 TE Mark Campbell
2003 DL Courtney Brown
2004 RB Lee Suggs
2005 LB Kenard Lang
2006 K Phil Dawson
2007 DB Gary Baxter
2008 WR Joe Jurevicius
2009 WR Mike Furrey
2010 LB Eric Barton
2011 LB D'Qwell Jackson
2012 P Reggie Hodges
2013 DB T.J. Ward
2014 DL Desmond Bryant
2015 OL Alex Mack
2016 DB Joe Haden
2017 OL Kevin Zeitler
About Providence House
Providence House – Ohio's first crisis nursery – provides emergency shelter and care for children in crisis, newborn through age 10, who are at risk of abuse or neglect while offering family support services to strengthen and stabilize families long term. Visit www.provhouse.org for more information.
