Tag: Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year

Former Ohio State player Cam Heyward named Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year

Former Ohio State great awarded NFL’s highest honor. #GoBucks

Former Ohio State great and current Pittsburgh Steeler, Cameron Heyward, was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year on Thursday evening. The award is considered to be the highest honor any player can receive and is given in recognition of off field community service.

Heyward has long been involved in giving back to the city of Pittsburgh since being drafted in the first round in 2011 by the Steelers. The defensive lineman started Cam’s Kindness Week which serves a wide variety of areas in the community. He has also done work with The Caring Place which supports grieving families who have experienced loss. You may remember, Cam’s own father, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, passed away when Cam was just 16 years of age.

This is the first time that Heyward has won the award even though he’s been nominated by the Steelers five times before. Heyward had this to say about giving back via Steelers.com.

“For me it’s about trying to impact my community. Giving young people a chance and connecting through this platform. I am lucky enough to play for an organization that allows you to do that.”

A donation of $250,000 will be made to the Heward House Foundation which was founded in 2015 in honor of his late father. The organization serves underprivileged areas in the Pittsburgh area.

Heyward played at Ohio State from 2007-2010. He ended his career in Scarlet and Gray with 163 tackles, 37.5 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in 52 games played.

Beyond the stats and illustrious NFL career, Heyward is leaving a legacy that will last long beyond his playing days.

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Patriots CB nominated for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award

Longtime Patriots CB Jonathan Jones gets recognized as a Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.

The NFL revealed all 32 nominees for the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award on Tuesday, and veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones made the list for the New England Patriots.

It’s an award that recognizes a player’s contributions on and off the field to the greater wide community.

Jones, who was recently honored with the Ron Burton Community Service Award, is known for his philanthropic efforts in the community, including working diligently in establishing the Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation, which encourages and empowers the youth.

“You don’t do these things for recognition when you go out into the community to help people,” Jones said back in August, via Patriots.com’s Alexandra Francisco. “But when people do recognize the things you do, for me, it’s just another opportunity to bring awareness and get more people to come in and help.”

The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award gets $250,000 donated to their charity of choice, while all 32 nominees receive up to $55,000 donated to their charities from the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.

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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.

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NFL Honors 2021: Everything you need to know about the league’s season awards show

The 10 th Annual NFL HONORS presented by Invisalign , an Align Technology brand, is the annual two-hour primetime awards special that recognizes the NFL’s best players, performances and plays from the 2020 season and will air nationally at 9 PM …

The 10th Annual NFL HONORS presented by Invisalign, an Align Technology brand, is the annual two-hour primetime awards special that recognizes the NFL’s best players, performances and plays from the 2020 season and will air nationally at 9 PM ET/PT on CBS on Saturday, Feb. 6.

“With the unprecedented nature of this year, we are excited to bring the 10th annual NFL Honors show to life in a unique format,” said Mark Quenzel, NFL Senior Vice President of Programming and Production. “We look forward to producing an unforgettable show that will celebrate the game and its brightest stars in an entertaining fashion.”

NFL Honors, which debuted in Indianapolis in 2012, will be produced prior to its airing.

Emmy Award-winning entertainer Steve Harvey will return for his third consecutive year as host.  Harvey joins Alec Baldwin as a three-time host (2012-2014). Other past award-winning celebrities to host the NFL’s awards show include Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Meyers, Conan O’Brien and Rob Riggle.

Grammy award-winning rock band Green Day will open the show with a special performance.  Tony and Grammy Award-winning Leslie Odom Jr. will perform during the in-memoriam segment.

Award presenters will include current NFL players and Legends, celebrities David Boreanaz, Kevin Hart, Rebel Wilson and the Super Bowl LV Honorary Captains – educator Trimaine Davis, nurse manager Suzoe Dorner and veteran James Marton – three heroes who served as leaders in their respective communities during the pandemic.

The primary awards presented:

AP Most Valuable Player

AP Comeback Player of the Year

AP Defensive Player of the Year

AP Defensive Rookie of the Year

Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021

AP Assistant Coach of the Year

AP Coach of the Year

AP Offensive Player of the Year

AP Offensive Rookie of the Year

Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Jonathan Allen nominated for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award

Washington has nominated Jonathan Allen to be considered for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

The Washington Football Team announced on Thursday morning that they have nominated veteran defensive lineman Jonathan Allen for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. The award, which went to Calais Campbell in 2019, is presented to the top player in the NFL who shows an outstanding presence in community service activities, as well as excellence on the field. All 32 teams in the NFL announced a nominee for the award.

According to a release from the WFT, they nominated Allen “for his deep commitment to the community. Throughout his time in Washington, he has participated in a number of events hosted by the Washington Football Charitable Foundation.”

We have seen Allen routinely making a difference off the field, and he is having a Pro Bowl level season on the field this year as well. Through 12 games, he has 45 total tackles, two sacks, and 9 QB hits. His presence has made Washington’s defensive line one of the best in the NFL, and he’s established himself as a true man of Washington.

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