ASHBURN, Va. – Washington Commanders star linebacker Bobby Wagner has partnered with Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., to raise stroke awareness in honor of his late mother, he announced Wednesday.
Wagner and Children’s National Hospital have partnered to support the Phenia Mae Fund, named in honor of Wagner’s late mother, who died from complications from a stroke in 2009 while Wagner was a freshman at Utah State. The fund will support the hospital’s pediatric stroke program.
Wagner, who is entering his 14th NFL season and second with Washington, launched the Phenia Mae Fund in 2023 in partnership with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Tacoma, Washington, while he played for the Seattle Seahawks. He also has fund partnerships with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Kaiser Permanente in Ontario, Canada.
“I would like to announce a partnership that I have going with Children’s National Hospital, centered around raising stroke awareness and helping stroke patients,” Wagner told reporters at Commanders minicamp on Wednesday. “This is my fourth fund in my mom’s name. … Everywhere I’ve played, I’ve tried to honor my mom and honor her name. This is a place that’s embraced me and (has) become a very special place for me, so I’m excited to extend that into D.C.”
Through his partnership with VMFH, Wagner also launched FAST54, a multimedia comic starring Wagner to provide education around stroke awareness.
FAST54 refers to an acronym that helps recognize the signs of a stroke – face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulties, time to call 911 – as well as his jersey number.
Wagner, 34, is one of the most decorated active NFL players. He has been selected to 10 Pro Bowls, earned All-Pro First Team honors six times, All-Pro Second Team honors five times, and won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks in February 2014.
Wagner played his first 10 NFL seasons for the Seahawks, which drafted him in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played one season for the rival Los Angeles Rams in 2022, returned to Seattle for one season in 2023, and signed with the Commanders in March 2024.