IRVING, Texas – Tight end Jason Witten will be honored with the 2013 Bart Starr Award, recognizing one NFL player for outstanding character and leadership at home, on the field and in the community.
The award is voted on by NFL players at the end of the season and honors the player who best exemplifies NFL Hall of Famer Bart Starr's commitment to family, teammates and the community. It's one of only two individual honors selected by the players themselves.
Athletes in Action announced Witten, who remains active in numerous charitable projects, including his SCORE Foundation, as the winner. Witten's foundation supports a variety of outreach programs and building projects in Texas and Tennessee, while placing trained male mentors in battered women's shelters throughout Texas.
In an effort to break the cycle of domestic violence, the mentors demonstrate positive male behavior for the children living in these shelters. Witten has also been involved in the Children's Cancer Fund Fashion Show, NFL Play 60, Boys and Girls Club of America and the Make-a-Wish Foundation, among many other projects.
Witten, who was chosen among finalists Matt Hasselbeck and Justin Tuck, will be honored at the 26th Annual NFL-Sanctioned Super Bowl Breakfast on Feb. 1 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. The event will also include special guests Lewis Johnson, Brent Jones, Danny Wuerffel and other NFL athletes and coaches.
The Super Bowl Breakfast is an NFL-sanctioned event hosted by Athletes in Action, and has taken place in the game's host city every year since 1988. Past winners of the award include London Fletcher, Drew Brees, Kurt Warner, LaDainian Tomlinson, Reggie White and Mike Singletary.
