Bucs guard Ali Marpet chosen by peers for Ed Block Courage Award

Left guard Ali Marpet, a linchpin on a Bucs offensive line credited with keeping Tom Brady mostly bereft of bruises last season, has been chosen by teammates as the 2020 winner of the Ed Block Courage Award.

The award recognizes “professionalism, great strength and dedication, in addition to being community role models.” Marpet, 27, is among 32 NFL players who will be honored at the 43rd Annual Ed Block Courage Awards, to be held at a date yet to be determined.

“I’ve worked hard to represent our organization to the best of my ability both on the field and in the community,” Marpet said in a statement released by the team. “We have a locker room full of players who are equally deserving, so being chosen by my teammates as our team’s representative for this award means a great deal to me.”

Marpet appeared in 17 of Tampa Bay’s 20 games last season, missing three while in concussion protocol. On the field, he anchored an offensive line that allowed a sack on only 3.4 percent of dropbacks in 2020, the second-lowest mark in the NFL.

Off it, his contributions were numerous.

Marpet helped establish the Buccaneers Social Justice Initiative in 2018, and last fall helped launch a youth-leadership program benefiting east Tampa students via mentorships and after-school support.

Leading up to the 2020 elections, he was active in the BucsVote campaign, and he supported the Innocence Project and Robert DuBoise, a Tampa man set free last year after spending 37 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.