LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is one of several National Football League players giving back to the military community ahead of Super Bowl 58.
As part of the NFL's Salute to Service program, players partnered up with USAA to reward veterans with tickets to the game. The program has been in place since 2011 and both organizations said it seemed like a natural fit.
"[Veterans] have been ecstatic about the opportunities to be around the NFL and to know that they're appreciated for their service and what they've contributed to their nation," said Rory Wicks, the USAA's West Region Director for Military Affairs. "Certain players have causes that align with us and we try to identify players that have a military connection. For example, Tua Tagovailoa has a lot of family members that have served. The players, for them, they want the opportunity to give back to those that have served like the folks in their families."
Garoppolo is one of those players who has a special connection to the military through his family. His grandfather and uncle served in the armed forces.
"I saw just how much it meant to him. [My grandfather] would tell us stories as little kids about his experiences and things like that. I was probably four or five years old at the time but it stuck with me," Garoppolo said. "It's just a family thing. It's always meant something to me and I thought this was a really cool way to give back."
On Friday, Garoppolo met the veteran he was sponsoring. Josh Polson joined the United States Air Force when he was 17 years old and later enlisted in the New Mexico Air National Guard. Like Garoppolo, he also comes from a military family.
"Military history is always great. I have the same thing," Polson said. "My grandpa and my grandma was actually a Marine."
"So it's the whole family," Garoppolo replied.
"It's pretty rare," Polson said.
Polson is originally from Kansas City and he said having the opportunity to see them in action on the sport's biggest stage will be something he remembers for a long time, no matter what the outcome of the game is.
"It's one thing to go to the Super Bowl, which I've never been, but another thing to see your own team in the Super Bowl. Then, if you bring home a win, that's amazing," Polson said. "It's a dream of a lifetime."
"In Vegas too," Garoppolo said.
"I'm sorry we had to be the first Super Bowl team in the AFC West to come to Vegas and play in your city," Polson said, which caused Garoppolo to laugh.
Polson's wife Jenny also said this is a full-circle moment since she met Polson at a Super Bowl party 15 years ago.
"This is kind of an anniversary for us."
Polson worked on network control, which is like IT, and said he had other military jobs like a structural engineer and logistics.
"I brought in all the parts to fix the planes," Polson said.
Garoppolo joined the 9G club in August after flying in an F-16 with the Air Force Thunderbirds. While he said it was an amazing experience, it was definitely a tough ride.
"I get tackled a million times. I don't know if I could fly an F-16 a million times," Garoppolo said. "It beat me up. It got the best of me. I was hurting for a couple of days after that but I'm glad I did it."
He isn't the only NFL star to take to the skies with USAA. Atlanta Falcons running back Bijon Robinson has worked with USAA for about a year and said it has been incredible getting to see what service members do on a daily basis.
"It's been the best partnership ever," Robinson said. "I mean, doing everything that I've done, in terms of going to different sites and going to Kansas City last year and riding in a helicopter, that was an insane experience."
Robinson said he sees the parallels between the game he loves so much and the people that protect and serve.
"The military, it's like a brotherhood. I think it's the same thing in football. It's not life or death but it's a brotherhood," Robinson said. "You play for one another. They fight for one another. I think it's really important to give back in that area and see the importance of what they've done and how they've protected us from any type of danger."
Garoppolo was also the Las Vegas Raiders nominee for the USAA Salute To Service Award for his work with the military.
However, the award went to New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona, who is also a lieutenant from the Naval Academy. During his rookie season with the Patriots, Cardona balanced a second full-time job in the Navy serving as a staff officer at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Rhode Island. Currently, Cardona oversees the logistical needs of 500 sailors across the Eastern Seaboard as a department head of Maritime Security Squadron 8, headquartered in Newport, Rhode Island.
On Wednesday, he wore his Navy uniform and two Super Bowl rings while doing interviews.
"This was one the toughest to earn," Cardona said, pointing to his Naval Academy graduation ring. "The Super Bowl rings were one season. That was four years."
USAA will contribute $25,000 in Cardona's honor to the official aid societies representing each of the military branches. The NFL Foundation will match USAA's donation of $25,000, which will be donated to Cardona's military charity of choice.
