Chris Long, Chicago Fire Honored at 2019 Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards

Retired NFL player Chris Long, the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League headlined the winners at the fifth Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards, which were held Tuesday night at L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

Long was honored with the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for "his commitment to giving back through strategic, multifaceted efforts," while the Fire were named Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year, and the NHL earned the League Humanitarian Leadership Award, per ESPN.

The former Philadelphia Eagles defensive end, who donated his entire 2017 salary to charitable causes, announced in September he'd donate a quarter of his 2018 salary to help launch First Quarter for Literacy, a program aimed at helping kids in Philadelphia learn to read.

Long spent the final two seasons of his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles after previous stops with the St. Louis Rams and New England Patriots. He retired from football in May after a career that featured two Super Bowl championships.

The 34-year-old California native was honored with the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2018 for his charitable efforts during the 2017 campaign.

"I've always believed there are inequities in our country," Long told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post in December 2017. "People's apathy or resentment for that reality has been surfacing a lot lately. And so for me, it's like, 'I'm going to be a part of the solution.'"

Other finalists for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award included free-agent point guard Reggie Bullock, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and American tennis star Sloane Stephens.

The Fire were honored for their efforts to "address the public school student dropout rate in Chicago," per ESPN. They edged MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers, the NHL's Anaheim Ducks and MLS' NYCFC for the team award.

Meanwhile, the NHL took home league honors for its "efforts to create the most inclusive experience for the entire hockey community."

Purdue Boilermakers superfan Tyler Trent, who became a cancer activist while fighting osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, was also honored during the event following his Jan. 1 death.

Highlights from the awards show will air July 18 on ESPN.