It’s been a disappointing season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but despite its struggles, one player has the opportunity to take home some of the most prestigious hardware the game has to offer.
Linebacker Myles Jack was named the team’s nominee for the 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which is given annually to a player who demonstrates excellence on the field and leadership off it. Jack will look to become the second Jaguars player to win the award after Calais Campbell did it with the team in 2019.
A more substantive list of Jack’s community endeavors can be found here, but just to summarize, he runs an annual Back to School event that provides children with schools supplies, clothes and other needs. He has donated $10,000 to JEA to help keep Jacksonville residents’ water and lights running, and he also awards two $4,000 scholarships each year to students from Edward Waters College, a historically Black college located in Jacksonville.
He has also participated in a USO tour in South Korea in 2019, and he has hosted events for the service members and families stationed at Naval Station Mayport.
Jack has been very active for the Jags’ defense, leading the team with 82 tackles (three for loss) and is potentially on pace to set career highs in both marks. His previous career highs came last year when he totaled 118 tackles (six for loss).
But as good as he is on the field, he has been just as impactful — if not more so — in the Jacksonville community since the franchise drafted him in 2016. Jack will find out if he’s this year’s recipient of the Man of the Year Award during the NFL Honors special, which will air in primetime the Thursday before the Super Bowl on ABC.