Maxx Crosby made his first public appearance of the offseason Friday night, accepting his fifth straight Commitment to Excellence Award at a dinner in Henderson. The star defensive end delivered an eight-minute speech that touched on family, fans, and a team employee’s health battle — but he never directly addressed the trade rumors that have swirled around him for months.

“There’s always gonna be noise, and always gonna be other things — outside, inside, whatever it is. But if you put the work first, if you lead by example, if you lift up your teammates, they’re gonna speak louder than any external factor, and that’s what I live by,” Crosby said midway through his remarks. The comment drew chants of “Raider for life!” from the audience, but Crosby did not respond.

Crosby opened by thanking his wife, Rachel, and agent CJ LaBoy, who flew in from the NFL combine. But the most emotional moment came when he addressed a Raiders staff member dealing with health issues. “I’m in the building every single morning, bright and early before 6 a.m., and he’s the first person I see,” Crosby said, his voice trembling. “You were there through the ups, the downs, the lows, everything, man… He’s got my back until the absolute end.”

The award is voted on by players and given to the Raider who “best exemplifies hard work, leadership and excellence on and off the field.” Crosby has won it every year since joining the team. This season, his attendance was scrutinized as a possible signal of his feelings toward the franchise, given persistent trade speculation.

NFL insider Albert Breer has reported that Crosby’s frustrations “goes all the way to the top of the organization with Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero.” On a recent episode of his podcast, when asked if he wants to be a Raider for life, Crosby replied, “I’ve talked about this too much. I’m going to just leave it at that. Life is good. I’m blessed, I’m happy.”

At Friday’s dinner, Crosby ended his speech simply with “Go Raiders.” He arrived 30 minutes early, wearing four diamond chains, and posed for photos without crutches after undergoing surgery in early January to repair a torn meniscus. The event raised $60,000 for Crosby’s charity through a live auction, including two of his game-worn jerseys that sold for about $2,500 each. When one fan approached him with a question, Crosby joked, “Man, I gotta get outta here,” and soon exited through a back door.