Patriots running back Sammy Morris was selected by his teammates as the recipient of the 2008 Ed Block Courage Award. The honor is voted on by teammates and bestowed annually upon the player who best exemplifies the principles of courage and sportsmanship while also serving as a source of inspiration. Morris and award winners from the 31 other NFL teams will be honored at the 30th Annual Ed Block Courage Awards Banquet in Baltimore on March 10, 2009.

Next week, Morris will travel overseas to visit American soldiers on a 10-day tour to support the troops. The Super Sunday Tour will include visits to numerous bases throughout Iraq and Kuwait and will extend to include visits on Super Bowl Sunday. Sammy's brother, Brien, is a staff sergeant in the Air Force. Last year, Brien returned from a tour in Iraq just in time to attend the Patriots' Super Bowl in Arizona.

Morris is also very active in the community, donating his time to many charitable endeavors. He is active in "Athletes in Action," served as a spokesperson for the "Hit the Books" summer reading program and last year joined teammates to visit the bone marrow transplant center at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts University in Boston. He also hosted a football camp in Lubbock, Texas in 2008.

The Ed Block Courage Award is named after Ed Block, a long-time head trainer for the Baltimore Colts and a respected humanitarian dedicated to helping children. Recipients are often players who have overcome devastating injuries or tragedies in their personal lives to return to top-level competition in the NFL.