Jarret Johnson (NFL Legend)
As an active player, and certainly since his retirement from the NFL in 2015, Ravens Legend, Jarret Johnson has demonstrated a constant commitment to honoring military men, women and their families. With the goal to employ veterans, Johnson recently partnered with a service-disabled Air Force veteran to start a Black Rifle Coffee franchise in Niceville, Florida. The franchise employs over 40 veterans, active-duty servicemen and women, veteran spouses and children of military members from all around the world. Johnson is an annual sponsor of SOF Missions, a 501c(3) non-profit that provides care to veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) with the goal of ending veteran suicide. He organized, sponsored and participated in "The Murph Crossfit Exercise" on Memorial Day 2021. The workout consisted of a 1-mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups and 300 air squats, followed by another 1-mile run, all while wearing a 25lbs weighted vest. The event had over 300 participants and raised nearly $15,000 for the EOD Warrior Foundation and Pipe Hitter Foundation. This event, originally started in Johnson's backyard, has grown into a large community-wide activation. Recently, he also welcomed other former NFL players including Phillip Rivers, Nick Hardwick, Jeremy Clary, Haloti Ngata, Marshall Yanda and Brian Madison to participate in the event. The players spoke with special operations members about the transition from the service, which poses similar challenges for NFL players as they leave the sport. Johnson regularly provides leadership development and positive motivation to the Army's 7th Special Forces Group (SFG) through various speaking engagements, basic range shooting events, fishing trips, veteran family cookouts and frequent participation in grueling physical workouts with Special Forces A-teams. In May, he completed the 2nd Annual 7th SFG Savage Loop ultramarathon, a 43-mile run around the Bay in the Niceville-Destin-Fort Walton Beach area of Florida. Johnson has also invited several former NFL players to attend and speak to senior Special Forces members at a leadership retreat hosted by the Army's 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Rudder, Florida.
