Falcons nominate RB Mike Davis for Walter Payton Man of the Year

The Atlanta Falcons have named running back Mike Davis as their 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.

The Atlanta Falcons have named running back Mike Davis as their 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. After racking over 1,000 all-purpose yards for the Carolina Panthers in 2020, Davis signed with his hometown Falcons over the offseason and hasn’t stopped giving back.

The 28-year-old played his college ball at South Carolina before getting drafted in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2015. Davis spent two years with the 49ers then another two years in Seattle prior to landing with the Panthers in 2019.

Among his accomplishments, Davis started The Mike Davis Foundation of Hope to help give back to the Atlanta community. Here’s an excerpt from NFL.com’s nominee page highlighting Davis’ contributions.

Through his foundation, The Mike Davis Foundation of Hope, Mike hosted a free youth football camp for over 200 kids on the Westside of Atlanta this past summer. Mike recently described the feeling of being in a position to give back in his neighborhood by saying, “It’s been a great feeling this whole time – ever since the Falcons signed me, especially with the way the community embraced me and how much I’m able to give back to the community. I just want to say thank you to everybody. I’m grateful, and I can’t wait to do more.”

And do more is what he did. Soon after, Mike hosted a back-to-school shopping event at Walmart for local youth in need of school supplies. Working with three different YMCAs in the Atlanta area, Mike had a mission to make sure the students were prepared and ready for the upcoming school year, free of cost to them. In addition to his offseason events, Mike’s wheels are constantly turning on how he can do more.

Watch as Davis’ former high school coach breaks the news to him that he’s the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, as shared by the Falcons’ Twitter account below.

Here’s the full list of Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees.

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