Former NFL defensive end Chris Long has been honored many times for his off-field work. He received his latest recognition Tuesday night.
Long was named this year’s recipient of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award in recognition of “his commitment to giving back through strategic, multifaceted efforts.” The award was one of many given out in Los Angeles at the Sports Humanitarian Awards, portions of which will be shown on ESPN later this month.
Long donated his entire salary in 2017 to benefit educational equality and encouraged his fans to join him in the effort, which raised $1.75 million to support students in St. Louis, Boston and Philadelphia — cities he played in during his career. Those efforts were recognized by the NFL when the league named him the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2018.
Long beat out finalists Reggie Bullock of the Los Angeles Lakers, former US Open tennis champion Sloane Stephens and Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The awards, which were presented by ESPN were given at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. ESPN said more than $1 million in net proceeds were raised for The Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund at the V Foundation. To date, $7.5 million has been donated to the community on behalf of the Sports Humanitarian Awards, which recognize those “who use the power of sports to make a positive impact on society”.
Also at the event, the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer were honored with the Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award for their commitment to address the public school student dropout rate in Chicago.
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