COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Paris Johnson Jr. Foundation has been named as the 11th recipient of the Armed Forces Merit Award presented by the Football Writers Association of America.
Coordinated by the staff at the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, the award was created in June 2012 “to honor an individual and/or a group within the realm of the sport of football.”
The Paris Johnson Jr. Foundation was selected from a list of 50 nominations (43 individuals and seven programs) as the 2022 recipient by a nine-person committee made up of FWAA members and bowl officials.
The official announcement was made during the noon edition of SportsCenter Friday followed by a teleconference with the foundation’s leader – Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and his mother, Monica Daniels.
“I’ve always been passionate about veterans,” Johnson said. “I have so much respect for veterans. It’s easy to say it, but words are just words. Our team tries to find a way to give back to those people who have arguably made the second greatest sacrifice on earth. Those people shouldn’t have to worry about the basic necessities when they come back home. They should be taken care of by the people that they protected.”
The Paris Johnson Jr. Foundation was established during his high school days in Cincinnati, has raised more than $10,000 to assist veterans, student-athletes and the homeless.
The foundation is dedicated to empowering and serving disabled veterans and disadvantaged student athletes with helpful resources that benefit them.
“Paris is a wonderful individual, one who cares about and takes care of those who are less fortunate,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “He does this through his foundation. These efforts are indicative of the leader that he is … on the field and off. He is a conscientious young man, an incredibly sincere and thoughtful individual, and someone I can’t wait to see succeed in life as an upstanding citizen.”