Congress introduces resolution honoring Miami Dolphins legend Nick Buoniconti, who is under consideration for Presidential Medal of Freedom

DAVIE — The next time someone says Congress can’t agree on anything, don’t believe it.

Congress did agree on something Thursday: Nick Buoniconti deserves to be honored.

The Dolphins’ Hall of Famer was the subject of a resolution introduced Thursday by four U.S. senators spanning the spectrum: Republican and Democrat, from Florida and his home state of Massachusetts.

The resolution was introduced by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rick Scott (R-FL) and Ed Markey (D-MA).

That’s not all. Rubio has written to President Donald Trump asking that Buoniconti be considered for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Trump responded with a letter thanking Rubio for the nomination to the country’s highest civilian honor, saying it “will receive the proper attention.”

Besides an outstanding career with the Patriots and two Super Bowl championships with the Dolphins, Buoniconti championed the cause of spinal cord research after his son, Marc, was paralyzed in a football game.

Buoniconti died in July at age 78 after battling dementia. He donated his brain to research on traumatic brain injury, although results of the study won’t be known for several more months.

The resolution reads, in part, as follows:

Whereas Nick Buoniconti was the captain of the back-to-back Super Bowl Championship teams of the Dolphins, including the undefeated 1972 team;

Whereas Nick Buoniconti earned the Most Valuable Player title of the Dolphins 3 times during his career with the team;

Whereas, in 7 seasons with the Dolphins, Nick Buoniconti earned 3 Pro Bowl berths and advanced to 3 straight Super Bowl appearances, winning 2 of them;

Whereas Nick Buoniconti was inducted into the National Football League (referred to in this preamble as the “NFL”) Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001 for his years as a middle linebacker with the Patriots and the Dolphins;

Whereas Nick and Marc Buoniconti were among the co-founders of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, a leading research center for spinal cord and brain injuries;

Whereas Nick Buoniconti founded The Buoniconti Fund, which has raised more than $500,000,000 to fund the mission of the Miami Project to find a cure for paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury;

Resolved, That the Senate—

(1) extends its heartfelt sympathies to the family, friends, and teammates of Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti (referred to in this resolving clause as “Nicholas Buoniconti”);

(2) honors the life and legacy of Nicholas Buoniconti; and

(3) expresses appreciation for the fight of Nicholas Buoniconti both on and off the field.

hhabib@pbpost.com

@gunnerhal