After suffering an ACL tear late last season, New Orleans Saints linebacker Nephi Sewell worked diligently to get back on the football field.
His resilience and dedication throughout his rehabilitation process has earned the respect and acknowledgement of his teammates. So much so that the Saints announced on Wednesday that Sewell has been selected as the team’s Ed Block Courage Award winner for 2024.
The award is voted on by players in order to recognize a teammate that has “persevered through adversity.” One player from each NFL team is selected for the annual honor.
Sewell made his official return to the field in the Saints’ Week 13 win over the Cleveland Browns wherein he took 15 snaps with the special teams unit, a role he carried as a core member prior to his injury.
“Persistence and hard work has always been a part of Sewell’s makeup,” the team’s press release read. “Sewell previously suffered a serious injury when he needed a vertebrae fusion surgery after making a tackle for Desert Hills High School in St. George, Utah in his team’s 2015 season opener. Sewell would return from the injury in 2016 and lead his team to the Utah state championship as a senior and go on to play college football at Nevada and Utah.”
Sewell and the other 31 players selected league-wide will be headed to Baltimore for their trophy presentation and other events in the spring.
