The 32 nominees for the NFL‘s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award were announced Tuesday
The Walter Payton Award presented by Nationwide honors the NFL’s best players both on-the-field and off-the-field. It is the only NFL award that combines and recognizes community service efforts as well as on-the-field performance.
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The award is also unique because every team nominates a player from their team to be considered for the award. The NFL’s Man of the Year is chosen by an “elite panel” of judges that includes Roger Goodell, Paul Tagliabue, Peter King, Connie Payton, Frank Gifford, Anthony Munoz, and last year’s award winner, Charles “Peanut” Tillman.
Here are the 32 nominees:
Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals
Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons
Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens
Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills
Thomas Davis, Carolina Panthers
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
Vincent Ray, Cincinnati Bengals
Craig Robertson, Cleveland Browns
DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys
Ben Garland, Denver Broncos
Stephen Tulloch, Detroit Lions
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
Pat McAfee, Indianapolis Colts
Josh Scobee, Jacksonville Jaguars
Tamba Hali, Kansas City Chiefs
Olivier Vernon, Miami Dolphins
Chad Greenway, Minnesota Vikings
Devin McCourty, New England Patriots
Thomas Morstead, New Orleans Saints
Steve Weatherford, New York Giants
Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets
Marcel Reese, Oakland Raiders
Connor Barwin, Philadelphia Eagles
William Gay, Pittsburgh Steelers
Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Johnny Hekker, St. Louis Rams
Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jason McCourty, Tennessee Titans
Darrel Young, Washington
Past winners of the award include Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Kurt Warner, and many others.
The Walter Payton Man of the Year will be giving a $50,000 donation ($25,000 from the NFL Foundation and $25,000 from Nationwide) to the charity of his choice. Two other finalists will given $5,000 to donate to a charity, as well, and all other nominees will receive $1,000 to donate to a charity of their choosing.
The Walter Payton Man of the Year will be presented at the annual NFL honors award show on Jan. 31. You can watch the awards live on NBC at 9 P.M. EST.
More information about the award, including why each player was nominated, can be found here.
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