Falcons to highlight TAPS program in second round of NFL draft
FLOWERY BRANCH — In the second round of the NFL draft Friday, the Falcons will help the league honor the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) as part of the league’s Salute to Service initiative.
The Gadsden family, lifelong Falcons fans from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., will join Commissioner Roger Goodell on stage in the second round to help make the Falcons’ pick.
The night of the pick, April 29, is the same date that 2nd Lt. Clifford Gadsden Jr. was killed in Iraq. Through the TAPS partnership the NFL seeks to offer care to people grieving the loss of a military loved one.
NFL draft news from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NFL beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter and the AJC Sports staff are providing exclusive coverage on all of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution platforms, beginning Thursday morning and daily in the ePaper. Our coverage will focus on things Atlanta readers want to know, including the top news, picks and prospects for the Atlanta Falcons and news about players with Georgia connections.
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The family was honored by the Falcons during their annual TAPS weekend in 2017 and again in 2020.
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About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
