Whether it's on the field or in the community, Brandon Carr has spent his entire career being a person people can depend on.
Carr is the Ravens 2019 recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. It is presented to the player who exemplifies a commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage, while also recognizing a player's efforts on the field and his ability to overcome adversity.
The award is named for Ed Block, the longtime athletic trainer of the Baltimore Colts who was a respected humanitarian. In 1989, the Ed Block Courage Foundation formulated the Courage House National Support System for Kids.
Since Carr entered the NFL in 2008, the 33-year-old defensive back has dressed for every game. Whatever adversity he was going through, whichever team he was playing for, Carr has never taken a game off. His string of 188 consecutive starts is the longest active streak among NFL defensive players, a testimony to his dedication.
Off the field, Carr leads the Carr Cares Foundation, founded in 2012 to improve child literacy around the country. Along with literacy initiatives, the foundation encourages children to lead healthy lifestyles through nutrition and physical fitness. A two-time nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, Carr has opened reading centers in his hometown of Flint, Mich., he is extremely active in social initiatives around Baltimore.
Carr is also extremely dedicated to breast cancer awareness after losing his mother, Kathy, to the disease in 2014. This season, Carr is donating $12,500 per game to fund free screenings and diagnostic mammograms through the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
The Ed Block Courage Award is voted on exclusively by the players on each team, and Carr said he was humbled to receive the honor on Friday.
"It's a blessing to receive this award," Carr said. "Mr. Ed Block, everything he stood for is pretty much the foundation that was laid for me at a very young age that allowed me to utilize this platform in a positive way, to continue on the legacy of my supporters and loved ones.
"Thank you to the Ravens organization for being heavily active in the community. Going to those tough places, rolling their sleeves up and making a difference."
Teammates and coaches marvel at Carr's durability and versatility. He has played most of his career at cornerback, but this season he has played primarily at safety since the Ravens traded for cornerback Marcus Peters. Carr has handled his new role without missing a beat.
"He's just a very versatile player," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "He plays all five positions back there in the secondary and plays them very well, understands them, works very hard at knowing what to do."
As he works in the Baltimore community, Carr notices the excitement the Ravens have generated during their eight-game winning streak. Having played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys before joining the Ravens in 2017, Carr has never played in a Super Bowl and he wants to change that this season.
"People shaking my hand, they hold it a little bit longer," Carr said smiling. "We have ways to keep ourselves humble. We know the rhetoric that was on the wall before the season started. They pretty much left us for dead, didn't give us a shot. That's our motivation. We still have a lot of work to do. You don't win Super Bowls in the regular season. We still have to get to the big dance. That's our goal right now."
