Anthony Barr named Vikings' Ed Block Courage Award recipient

Anthony Barr has gutted through injuries on the field, and he's helped others fight through their own adversity off the field through his Raise the Barr foundation, setting examples that led to another honor Wednesday.

The Vikings named Barr this year's Ed Block Courage Award Recipient, an annual recognition given to a player on each NFL team who "exemplifies commitments to sportsmanship and courage."

"It was unexpected," Barr said Thursday. "Something I'm proud of, something I'm thankful for. Obviously I've been out of it for a couple years, so continue to stick to my routine, continue to fight through adversity and stay true to myself, which is something I've always tried to do."

Barr, the team captain in his eighth Vikings season, was also nominated as the team's Walter Payton Man of the Year candidate this month. Each team's Ed Block recipient will be honored at a banquet in Baltimore, scheduled for early April 2022.

"The Minneapolis community really embraced me as one of their own, and it was only right to give back," Barr said earlier this month. "That's kind of what we're trying to do: just show our gratitude for the last five, six, seven, eight years that I've been here. It's heartwarming, man. It makes you want to continue to do good work, because you know it's working."

The honors could mark an end of the road for Barr's playing days in Minnesota. The four-time Pro Bowl linebacker accepted a pay cut last offseason on the condition he become a free agent this spring.

He's played through a lingering knee injury this season, and has appeared in only 11 of 31 games the last two years. A torn pectoral muscle sidelined him early last year. He returned to training camp, but was sidetracked by a knee problem. Barr also tweaked a hamstring in the Nov. 28 loss at San Francisco. He sat out the following week in Detroit.

The knee issue has hampered Barr the most. He didn't play until Week 5, and sat out the Week 10 win in Los Angeles after playing 98 snaps in Baltimore the previous week. Barr hasn't answered whether it's a chronic knee issue, but coaches have said it's something he'd have to play through all season.

He's coming off his first multi-interception NFL game on Sunday against the Rams, twice picking off Matthew Stafford in the 30-23 loss.

Barr is the fourth consecutive Vikings defender nominated, joining linebacker Cameron Smith, nose tackle Linval Joseph and defensive end Everson Griffen.