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).
