CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst has been chosen as the team's recipient for the 2022 NFL Salute to Service Award.
The award, which is celebrating its 12th year, recognizes a player, coach, legend or staff member for their excellence in appreciation of the military. Each team in the NFL picks a recipient and all nominees are voted on for the league's overall recipient.
According to the Bengals, Hurst has been very vocal about mental health awareness and treatment community since sharing his own story of personal struggles in 2020.
In support of Suicide Prevention Month, Hurst sent a video message to Marines, which introduced him to the emotional and psychological challenges faced by military members. Since then, the Bengals said Hurst has remained dedicated to veteran outreach.
In 2021, the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation — which helps youth, military and others regarding health, education and wellness — made a $20,000 pledge to the Top Dogg K9 Foundation, which is based in Atlanta and pairs service dogs with disabled veterans struggling with mental health post-deployment.
Hurst's foundation also sponsored a Top Dogg service canine, which was named Hayden.
In other efforts, Hurst also partnered with the Cincinnati-based Armed Forces Tickets Association (AFTA) to provide four tickets to active military members and their family to watch the Bengals play the Los Angeles Rams in this year's preseason finale.
The foundation is also actively working alongside with Acadia Healthcare to host military-appreciation events in the Greater Cincinnati area.
For the first time in the award's history, fans will have a say in voting for the national winner of the NFL Salute to Service Award. Fan voting begins Nov. 4 and runs until Nov. 30. Fans can submit a vote once per day.
Three finalists will be determined by fan votes, an internal NFL committee and USAA. The NFL's Salute to Service Award panel will elect the winner, which is announced during the week of Super Bowl LVII in February.
Click here to vote for Hurst, and click here to see every other NFL team's recipient.
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