The Atlanta Falcons are shipping out overseas to visit the troops.
The franchise announced Tuesday that team leaders will embark on a USO tour before the 2018 season to visit active duty service members at three military bases in Iraq. The Falcons are the only NFL team that will conduct their own USO tour in support of the 52nd Anniversary of the partnership between the NFL and the USO.
Atlanta's envoy will include coach Dan Quinn, kicker Matt Bryant, guard Ben Garland, center Alex Mack and AMB Group CEO Steve Cannon.
"We are fired up to have this rare opportunity to show our appreciation for our troops and spend time with them during their deployment," Quinn said of the trip. "We have so much respect for what these men and women do every single day, and I think this is a great opportunity to show our gratitude to all the members of our armed services at these bases."
This will be Garland's second USO trip to a military base just this year. The Falcons offensive lineman, who currently serves in the Colorado Air National Guard and was Atlanta's 2017 Man of the Year recipient, went on a USO tour with current NFL players to Germany and Italy in May.