Tag: Walter Payton Man of the Year Nominee

Solomon Thomas meets with Chelsea Clinton to discuss mental health

Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas had the opportunity to meet with Chelsea Clinton to discuss mental health and his organization, The Defensive Line.

Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas has been one of the top players when it comes to contributing to society off the field. As a result, he’s been the Jets’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award two straight seasons, including this season.

The founder of The Defensive Line continued his growing mission to discuss and bring awareness to mental health and he recently got to share some thoughts with the daughter of a former President.

Thomas met with Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton to talk about how Thomas and his organization are changing the way we discuss mental health and suicide prevention, two of the biggest goals of The Defensive Line.

Clinton is a global health advocate in her own right, so if there is someone for Thomas to be able to bounce his ideas off of, it’s a former First Kid.

Thomas has given back in numerous ways but his Defensive Line is his biggest organization, one that aims to help in the prevention of youth suicide. Thomas’ younger sister, Ella, died by suicide at the age of 24. Thomas co-founded The Defensive Line in her honor and to help other lives.

Solomon Thomas named Jets’ nominee for Walter Payton award

For the second straight season, Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas was nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

The NFL announced Tuesday the 32 nominees, one from each team, for the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas was named the Jets’ nominee for the second straight year.

From the NFL’s official website: “The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is granted to the player who demonstrates outstanding contributions to society off-the-field while handling himself in an exemplary fashion in uniform.”

Thomas is co-founder and Board Chair of The Defensive Line, an organization designed to aid in the prevention of youth suicide. He has also taken part in many charitable organizations.

“I am truly honored and humbled to be nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award by the New York Jets for the second consecutive year,” said Thomas. “This recognition goes beyond football, reflecting the impact we can make off the field and impact others’ lives with our platform. It’s a privilege to be a part of this team and have a platform to positively impact others. Thank you to the Jets organization, the Tri-state community, my family, and my teammates for this incredible honor.”

The winner will be announced during NFL Honors on Thursday, February 8, the week before Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. Each nominee will receive up to $55,000 for the charity of their choice and the winner receives an additional $250,000 donation.

Commanders nominate Charles Leno for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award

The Commanders nominated Charles Leno Jr. for the 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

The NFL revealed the 32 nominees for the 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award Tuesday and left tackle Charles Leno Jr. was nominated by the Washington Commanders.

Leno is in his second year with Washington after signing as a free agent in May 2021. In addition to his terrific play on the field, the former Pro Bowl offensive tackle is extremely active in the Washington community.

Leno and his wife Jen started the organization, Beyond the Entertainment, in 2019 to serve two purposes, courtesy of Commanders.com:

“Beyond the Entertainer,” which was started in 2019 by the Leno family, has strived to accomplish two main goals. The first is to expose kids looking to start a career in sports to all the positions and paths they could take. Because most want to be among the handful of individuals who become professional athletes, these other careers often get overlooked, but they can be just as rewarding in many cases.

“You can be a [general manager]. You can have strive to be that,” Leno said. “You can be the team president, a Black team president, like we have [with] Jason Wright. You can be a strength coach, you can be a coach, you can be a nutritionist, you can be a financial advisor.”

The second goal is to show people that athletes can be more than people who provide entertainment on gamedays. “Beyond the Entertainer” wants to pay it forward to “make this world a better place,” as the website claims, and there are multiple initiatives, such as a mentorship program and a program for addressing world hunger, that are in the works to help accomplish that.

Leno also supports the Hogfarmers Charitable Foundation, which is dedicating to helping children with pediatric cancer.

The Walter Payton Award is given annually to an NFL player to honor that player’s commitment to philanthropy and community impact, as well as his excellence on the field.

The winner will be announced at NFL Honors in February before Super Bowl LVII.

Congratulations to Leno on this prestigious honor. Leno has quickly made himself a fan favorite among fans because of his tremendous work off the field.

We will share the links for Hogfarmers and Beyond the Entertainer if anyone would like to make a donation to these outstanding organizations.

Here is the full list of nominees.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbykgy681k112p8 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Patriots defensive veteran nominated for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award

Patriots defender nominated for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

Perhaps the second time will be the charm for New England Patriots defensive tackle Lawrence Guy, who has been nominated for a second consecutive time for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

The prestigious award honors players that aren’t just getting the job done on the football field, but it makes a point to focus on the community efforts of individuals.

Guy has long been one of the players that has given back through charitable donations and other means through the Lawrence Guy Family Foundation, which hosts “events at local Boys & Girls Clubs, Thanksgiving giveaways for families in need, [and] back to school events & Holiday shopping sprees for local children in need.”

Recently retired Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth was the previous winner of the award, and Guy would be following great company if given the nod this go-round.

Guy was seen as a bit of a journeyman before finding a home in New England back in 2017. He has since grown into one of the team’s most reliable defensive players over the last decade and a veteran leader in the locker room.

Without question, no one is more deserving of the recognition than the former seventh-round draft pick that became a Super Bowl champion. More importantly, he never forgot where he came from and has continuously made strides in helping others along the way.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby79hc76t2s390 player_id=none image=https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=132265]

Adam Thielen named Vikings’ nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

The Vikings have an excellent nominee for the award

The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of players that are very involved with charity, including multiple with their own foundations. It makes selecting the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award difficult in a good way.

The nominees for the award were announced on Tuesday morning and the Vikings nominee is none other than wide receiver Adam Thielen.

Adam and Caitlin Theilen have done tremendous work in the Twin Cities with the Thielen foundation where they have donated more than $2.5 million to local organizations.

The Thielen’s have become a tremendous asset to the Twin Cities and the nomination for this award is a signal of just that.

Thielen is one of 32 finalists for the award with one from each team. Three finalists will be named and the winner will be announced three days before the Super Bowl at the NFL Honors.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyjpbajmjvnqmj player_id=none image=https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=69596]

Jonotthan Harrison is Jets’ nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year award

The Jets have nominated Jonotthan Harrison for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

The New York Jets announced on Thursday that center Jonotthan Harrison is the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The award recognizes players who help out in their communities.

Harrison has always focused on bullying around the United States. He was bullied as a child and is now raising awareness about bullying through social media and public speaking. Harrison wants children to understand the signs of bullying and how they can prevent it from happening. He is also an ambassador for Stomp Out Bullying, a nonprofit that aims to improve bullying culture among students.

“I am humbled to be amongst this contingent of selfless honorees,” Harrison said in a statement. “The opportunity to represent the Jets organization, my family and my community means so much to me. Growing up, I was an easy target for bullies. The daily harassment I endured helped shape me to become who I am today.”

For being nominated, Harrison will wear the Walter Payton Man of the Year decal on his helmet for the rest of the season. A $40,000 donation will go to a charity of his choice.

The award will be announced during the NFL Honors show the night before Super Bowl LIV. The winner will take home a $250,000 donation to a charity he selects.