The 2017 season has been a somewhat challenging so far for New England Patriots special teams standout and team captain Matthew Slater. While he was his usual productive self when on the field, the 32-year old was forced to sit out a total of seven contests due to a lingering hamstring injury originally suffered during the preseason.
Despite all this, Slater has still been recognized among the NFL’s best players in the kicking game and was voted to his seventh straight Pro Bowl. Yesterday, the Patriots announced another accolade for the veteran: Slater has been named the 2017 Ron Burton Courage Award recipient, following the footsteps of past winners like Nate Solder (2016), Rob Gronkowski (2013) or Tom Brady (2009).