NFL Announces Nominees For Salute to Service Award Presented By USAA

The NFL and USAA, an official NFL Salute to Service partner, announced the 2021 nominees for the eleventh annual Salute to Service Award presented by USAA. The Salute to Service Award recognizes NFL players, coaches, staff and alumni with demonstrable commitment to honoring and supporting military and veteran communities, as nominated by NFL clubs.

Finalists are scheduled to be announced in January, and the recipient will be recognized at NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air nationally the week of Super Bowl LVI.

“Now more than ever, it’s essential that our nation come together to support and show appreciation for those Americans who are serving and have served our country, as well as their families,” said Vice Admiral (Ret.) John Bird, USAA Senior Vice President of Military Affairs. “This year’s nominees for the Salute to Service Award presented by USAA all deserve special recognition for stepping up to support our military community, and we are encouraged to see this list of diverse nominees coming from all areas of the NFL organization.”

Last year’s recipient was Steve Cannon, CEO of the Atlanta Falcons’ parent company AMB Sports and Entertainment. Cannon will serve on the award panel and vote to select the 2021 Salute to Service Award recipient.

As the presenting sponsor of the Salute to Service Award, USAA, a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to U.S. military members, veterans and their families, will contribute $25,000 in the recipient’s name to official aid societies representing all U.S. military branches. The NFL will match USAA’s contribution by donating an additional $25,000 to the awardee’s military or veteran charity of choice.

The Salute to Service Award is part of the NFL and USAA’s year-round commitment to recognize and honor the military and veteran community. Each year, the NFL and its 32 teams come together to honor, empower, and connect with members of the military as part of the NFL’s Salute to Service initiative. The league’s military appreciation efforts culminate in November with NFL Salute to Service games and other special events honoring and thanking veterans, active-duty service members and their families.

Below is a list of the 2021 Salute to Service Award presented by USAA nominees:

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM

RON RIVERA (Head Coach)

Since his arrival in our Nation’s Capital in January 2020, Head Coach Ron Rivera has led the Washington Football Team through unimaginable adversity on-and-off the field. From a complete organizational rebuild in the face of a national pandemic to his personal battle with cancer last season, Coach Rivera persevered and overcame every obstacle in front of him to capture Washington’s first NFC East Conference Championship since 2015. Through every hardship, Coach Rivera accredited his success in the face of adversity to his military upbringing and the values instilled in him growing up the son of a 32-year-career Commissioned Officer of the United States Army, Eugenio Rivera. Rivera has spent the entirety of his 10-year career as a Head Coach giving back to a military community that has defined his success as a leader in the league. This year, however, was especially important to him in being advocate and supporting local families, as many of his new team captains were also children of Commissioned Officers including the likes of Chase Young and Jonathan Allen. In light of COVID-19, Rivera spent his first season with the team designating a few hours each month participating in virtual events empowering local military organizations and connecting with local service members including Q&A’s with Blue Star Families, Virtual Visits with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Patients, and Surprising Local ROTC Students with Full Ride Scholarships. In pursuit of further support and alignment with local military charities, his contributions have grown substantially from helping raise $2.5K for USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore in team’s military club My Cause My Cleats initiative to joining Pepsi in surprising the Children of Fallen Patriots Scholarship Foundation with a $10K contribution. Rivera has vowed more support, engagement, and connection with local installations (hints of engagement in store have been shown at Washington’s Military Appreciation Day at Training Camp, Preseason Practice on Joint Base Andrews, and recent visits to the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon).