Joe Cardona, Patriots Donating 200 Falcons Game Tickets To Military Members

Joe Cardona wanted to take matters into his own hands to show support for the armed forces. His New England Patriots teammates helped him do just that.

Cardona, the Patriots’ long snapper and an active member of the U.S. Navy, helped organize the Patriots’ donation of 200 tickets for military members to attend Sunday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium.

The 200 service men and women will get to take the field before the game in addition to having seats for the highly-anticipated Super Bowl LI rematch.

“It’s a number that far exceeded expectations,” Cardona told ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss on Friday. “It was a collaborative effort. I was talking to (special teamer) Matt(hew) Slater, we were thinking of ways to reach out, especially to our local military community, and show how much we value them.

“My point of view was, ‘Let’s give these men and women the experience of coming to a big game.’ Let’s get them a personal feel, them being our personal guests, guests of the team.”

All Patriots players and coaches receive two tickets each to home games and have the chance to buy more, and Cardona’s teammates and coaches came together to round up 200 tickets for Sunday’s game in a kind gesture to those who serve.

Some Americans, including active military members and veterans, have expressed anger at NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem as part of their protests against social inequality, arguing that the players are “disrespecting” the country and the American flag. But Cardona said his teammates’ ticket donations Sunday are part of his goal of “bridging the civilian-military divide.”

“One percent of the population in the United States raises their hand and swears to protect and defend the constitution,” Cardona said. “With such a small number of people serving now in our great, all-volunteer force, it’s become more of a divide between the civilian world and military world.

“So, one personal goal of mine is to bridge that gap and also the narrow divide and mentality between a war fighter and a professional athlete where performance is so important. Also, the brotherhood between those of us in the locker room is very similar to those many units around the country that are serving all over the world.”

Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images