Giants’ Logan Ryan marries big winners off the field with the Ryan Animal Rescue Foundation

The golden retriever from Camden Animal Shelter in New Jersey came into Logan Ryan’s life when he was in kindergarten. And oh, how he loved Amber.

“We had her when I was five or six, and she was with me until high school,” the Giants’ safety recalled the other day. “My father went to the ‘pound’, as he called it, and brought her home, so she was with me all of my childhood.”

Ryan cried when he lost Amber just before he started his football career at Rutgers. “It was heartbreaking, because this pet is now part of your family.” However, it turned out that the dogs never left his life.

He met his girlfriend, Ashley Bragg, a star shortstop at Rutgers, and the two not only had a love of the sport in common, but a love of dogs as well. Their dedication to animals has only grown since they got married.

“When I was recruited in New England she got a job at an animal shelter and I saw firsthand some of the stories about how tough it was and how some of these animals were,” Ryan said. .

He and Ashley Ryan have since turned that passion for animal welfare into the Ryan Animal Rescue Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping support animals around the world. He recently partnered with CARE – Community Animal Rescue Effort – for a Thanksgiving event that provided free food and supplies to area dogs. This is one of the many events that Ryan’s organization has attended to help the cause. Ryan has also partnered with Covenant House in Newark to support homeless youth through education, employment and financial literacy.

“My foundation and CARE are the only two minority-run foundations that provide shelter grants,” Ryan said. “There aren’t a lot of minorities in this space, not a lot of men in this animal rescue space. I thought that was pretty cool, so we just worked together to try to make an impact. where I was born and raised and head straight back to Camden, New Jersey. ”

As part of last week’s “My Cleats, My Cause” event, where players could wear cleats to support an off-court charity, Ryan wore red cleats – a tribute to “Clifford The Big Red Dog “.

“I dedicate this year’s My Cause My Cleats to @RARF_official in our mission to help and support animals all over the world,” Ryan wrote on his Twitter feed.

It’s no wonder Ryan this week was the Giants nominee for one of the NFL’s most prestigious honors – the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Named after the Bear Hall of Fame running back who died in 1999, the award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service off the field, as well as excellence on the field. Former Giants quarterback Eli Manning was a co-winner of the award, along with former Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, in 2016.

“I knew when I got into this league that I wanted to give back,” said Ryan, 30. “It took me a while to figure out what my causes would be. It took me a while to figure out what was important to me, who to help and how to help. It came naturally.”

Logan’s main focus, of course, is football, and he’ll try to find a way to help the Giants deal with the Chargers offense and star quarterback Justin Herbert in Sunday’s game at SoFi. Stadium. But that doesn’t mean he can’t simultaneously support a cause that has become a big part of his family. In fact, the day the Ryan’s got married in 2017, they were reminded of the importance of their mission to help animals.

“When we got to Saint Lucia [for the destination wedding], we noticed all the stray dogs and cats on the road on our way, “Ashley told Good Morning America for an article aired after the wedding.” It was very strange for us.

A dog continued to follow the couple.

“I was just worried about Ashley’s dress, because it was so expensive,” Ryan told ABC. “It was Ashley who made her feel welcome, stroking this dog – just the kind of person she is.”

The couple then asked that instead of wedding gifts, donations be made to a local shelter, “Help Animal Welfare“.

“Without people like them going above and beyond to help, we wouldn’t be able to continue saving lives in Saint Lucia,” the shelter said in a statement after the Ryans asked for donations. “They not only helped us financially, they also helped promote our organization. “

Since joining the Giants ahead of the 2020 season, Ryan has grown into one of the club’s most important leaders – selected this season as captain. Despite the Giants’ 4-8 record, he still finds hope for his team, and rest assured he will do whatever he can to help out on the pitch.

The animal welfare community can rest assured that he will do his part off the pitch as well.