HOUSTON'S JUSTIN REID NAMED WEEK 1 NFLPA COMMUNITY MVP

Justin Reid has been named Week 1 NFLPA Community MVP after he came to the rescue of his home state Louisiana, raising $10,000 and filling up two 18-wheeler trucks with donated goods for those impacted by Hurricane Ida.

"It is an honor to be named the NFLPA Community MVP for this week,” Reid said. “I do not do anything for recognition; I’m strictly doing what I believe I am called to do. To much is given, much is required. Louisiana is my home, and my heart was broken after talking to family members and seeing images of the devastation in the news.”

As the Ascension Parish native watched Hurricane Ida become the latest natural disaster to ravage his native area, the fourth-year safety huddled with Houston Texans staff to quickly pull together a relief drive-through event at NRG Stadium on September 3. Reid, along with fellow Texans Jeff Driskel, Lonnie Johnson Jr., Whitney Mercilus, Derek Rivers and Max Scharping, welcomed donors in the parking lot, where non-perishable food, bottled water, toiletries, pet food, diapers, toiletries and other household staples were delivered. Each person who contributed received a voucher for two tickets to Houston’s season opener on September 12.

By day’s end, when it came time to pack up everything, Reid needed two 18-wheeler trucks to house all of the collected items. From there, the items were transported to the Louisiana Home and Foreign Missions Baptist Convention, which oversees a community of more than 200 churches in the state. The non-profit will be in charge of distributing the goods as well as the $10,000 donation generated by Reid to those in need across Louisiana.“

This tragedy has been an eye opener for me to do more for my home,” Reid said. “I am beyond appreciative to the Houston Texans for their commitment and support. My family and I stand with everyone in Louisiana to lend a helping hand."

The Stanford alum has become very close to the city of Houston through his philanthropy work since entering the NFL. In 2020, Reid partnered with Microsoft and Baylor University to donate 20 tablets to medical students to help with their studies. He also donated $10,000 to Kids Meals Houston to help feed families during the COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, Reid has hosted a Thanksgiving Grocery Grab in 2019, where he took 20 families on a shopping spree, and partnered with Candle Lighters to send the families of children with cancer to Texans games.

In honor of Reid being named this week’s Community MVP, the NFLPA will make a $10,000 contribution to his charity or foundation of choice. Our supporting partner, Aldine Sports Association, will create customized T-shirts and hoodies featuring his unique Community MVP superhero illustration made by HEARTLENT Group. The apparel will be sold on ASA’s website during the season, with a portion of all proceeds going to Reid’s foundation or charity of choice.

Reid, along with the other 2021 Community MVPs, will become eligible for this year’s Alan Page Community Award, which is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player. The Community MVP campaign is part of the NFLPA’s continued efforts to support the year-round, civic outreach and engagement of its player members. Please visit the NFLPA Community MVP website to learn more about the program.

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About the NFL Players Association: 

The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected—including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through the 2030 season. Learn more at www.nflpa.com.