Former Patriots LT Nate Solder Never Hesitates To Help Those In Need
BOSTON (CBS) -- Nate Solder is pretty good at protecting quarterbacks. But the left tackle is even better at helping those in need.
When it comes to giving back, Solder is one of the best in the NFL. He's been nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award twice in his career -- once with the Patriots and again last year with the New York Giants. He was nominated in New York for his work with Compassion International, a church-based organization that helps provide food, medical care and education to children in need around the world.
In April, with COVID-19 impacting the world, Solder donated $1 million to the organization.
Solder's oldest son, Hudson, has been battling cancer for much of his life. He was diagnosed with a tumor in both kidneys at three months old, and last year, underwent surgery to have one of those tumors removed. He was going through his third round of chemotherapy during the 2019 season.
Solder said he and his family are doing well right now, and just welcomed in their third child, Emerson, last week. Hudson's battle with cancer has inspired a life of giving back for Solder, so when the COVID-19 pandemic began to sweep the world, Solder saw another opportunity to step up and help. He hopes his actions inspires others to do the same.
"It's something we were really strongly drawn to," Solder told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche. "With our son Hudson having his health issues and all the wonderful treatment we've received here in the United States, especially in Boston, once we heard about the conditions outside of our country we wanted to do as much as we could."
He and his wife, Lexi, recently made a visit to Uganda and Guatemala, an eye-opening experience for the family.
"Their living conditions are just really difficult," he said. "These are the ultra-poor of the world. They have no clean water, they don't have food. They have a lot of disease. A lot of things are really just a struggle for them, and so now with COVID-19, it's just going to be that much more dramatic of an impact in those areas. So we teamed up with Compassion. We're part of their fundraising efforts. Part of it is us giving some money, but it's also trying to get teammates and colleagues involved because we believe in the cause and we believe in their compassion."
Solder said making those trips and seeing conditions firsthand, along the perseverance of the people in those countries, left a lasting impression on him. He saw how sophisticated and dedicated the people there are working toward helping others, and wanted to do even more to help.
"I was just incredibly humbled by the whole process and knowing that these are enormous issues that not one person can solve by themselves. So teaming up with an organization like Compassion, that has done it so well and that has really phenomenal people that have great accountability in some of these areas, it was really, really eye-opening for us," he said. "Another thing that we came away from was just how many friends we made, just really phenomenal people and friends you would have never thought we could have made. So that was really just God working through what was going on in our lives. And we're just so thankful for that.
"They don't have a lot of material possessions, but they have a lot of strong family connections. They have a lot of deep spiritual faith and they have a lot of strength in other areas that was very clear; some areas that we lacked in," he said. "So I think that as much as we can provide them with material possessions and infrastructure and those sort of things, they provide us with those other sort of human needs -- quality of life type of things.
"They're just amazing people to be around," continued Solder. "And the way they're so joyful and happy with very little is really inspiring. I actually came back a little bit torn because in our lives, we kind of have a lot of excess and we have a lot of waste. It just makes you second guess what you do, because you want to be able to help other people that are so wonderful. We do appreciate the the health care that we have here and and it's absolutely wonderful that we have that opportunity to live here in this country. But like I said, there are some things we need that we're lacking, so it puts that in perspective."
Solder said he's blessed to be playing in the NFL, and it's only right that he uses his own blessings to help others.
"I happen to play football and that's the way that I've made money. That's something I really enjoy doing, but it also gives me access to have a platform to reach other people to help other people," he said. "It puts it in perspective that this isn't all just all here for us to consume and use and keep ourselves. This is to be shared and spread too, so that's kind of how I feel about that."
Solder is heading into his third season with the Giants after signing a four-year, $62 million deal with New York in 2018. He's started all 32 games at left tackle for the G-Men since signing that record deal, and is excited for what the future holds with former Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge taking over in 2020.
"He's been awesome. I'm so thankful that he's in New York now and we've had some great conversations," Solder said of his new head coach. "I'm really looking forward to what he's going to bring to the team. I think that all the assistants that he brought in are really, really top notch coaches and I think we've always had really phenomenal players. I think they're going to bring more in and we're going to build a team that's gonna have a real strong values."
Solder was recently named to New England's All-Decade Team for the 2010s, though given he protected Tom Brady's blind side from 2011-17, he said that didn't leave the franchise with many options.
"Well, obviously, it's an incredible honor, but I wonder if it was kind of default, you know? I just had the longest streak throughout the decade," he said with a giant laugh. "I was a part of some tremendous teams and I worked extremely hard and I had great coaches. Everyone on that team is phenomenal, so what an honor. I would have never expected that coming from a little town in Colorado, getting drafted by the Patriots -- all of this is kind of surreal to me."
