As the Kansas City Chiefs gear up to face their Week 14 opponent, they’re taking some time to celebrate one of their own.
On Tuesday, the team announced that Tyrann Mathieu would be their nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year award. One of the NFL’s highest individual honors, the award is bestowed annually upon those who demonstrate excellence both on and off the field.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Chiefs HC Andy Reid and star QB Patrick Mahomes took an opportunity to speak on Mathieu and his nomination. They collectively explained why he is the perfect choice to be the team’s nominee for 2021.
“It’s awesome,” Mahomes said of Mathieu’s nomination. “Because you know the work that he puts in, not only on the field but off the field as well. And he’s done it in every single community that he’s been in from Arizona, New Orleans, Houston to now Kansas City. He has always given back to the community. I’m grateful for him to be a leader on this team, to be such a great person. And I’m happy for him to have this honor and hopefully go out there and win it.”
Mathieu has set an example, not only for his defensive teammates but for young players like Mahomes too. From his on-field leadership to his commitment to his communities off the field, Mathieu exemplifies what it means to be great, as a player and a person.
“He’s a very giving person,” Reid said of Mathieu. “He’s been through a lot in his life and he understands that the people that need, need him and he can share his experiences with those people. I think he’s tremendous. Big heart, great person. He’s willing to give up time — a lot of people say, ‘I’m willing to contribute with money.’ But they’re not willing to spend the time. He really does both, but he’s willing to get out there with the people and spend the time doing things.”
The willingness to get out in the community is something that Mathieu excels at. Last month, he partnered with a food bank to give away turkeys for the Thanksgiving holiday, something that has become an annual tradition since he entered the league. Just this past week, he gifted Christmas toys to foster children in Kansas City and presented Super Bowl LVI tickets to an ICU nurse at Saint Luke’s hospital. All of that good done in the community doesn’t even include the daily impact that his foundation has on the lives of underserved families in both Kansas City and New Orleans.
“He truly cares about people,” Mahomes said of Mathieu. “I think that’s the biggest thing. He came up in a rougher part (of New Orleans) and he understands how the impact of other people can be to bring out the greatness in everyone. So for him to be able to in this locker room and be such a leader— it sets an example for everybody for how you should act on and off the field.”
That example set by Mathieu has earned him the utmost respect in the Chiefs’ locker room and around the NFL. It’s why he has a good shot to become the sixth player in Kansas City to win the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, joining all-time great players such as Willie Lanier (1972), Len Dawson (1973), Derrick Thomas (1993), Will Shields (2003) and Brian Waters (2009).
“Yeah, I mean the guys love him,” Reid said of Mathieu. “They vote him captain every year. He’s a good player. The players understand how he’s wired — he’s very intense. He ‘mother hens’ everybody to make sure we’re doing the right things with the calls and everything. He does a good job all the way around as a teammate, husband, father, everything. He’s a tremendous person.”
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