The NFL announced in December the 32 players who were honored as their team’s Man of the Year and who represent the best of the NFL’s commitment to philanthropy and community impact.
The players are eligible to win the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide, which recognizes one player each year for his excellence on and off the field.
Three of the nominees will be selected as finalists for the award, named for the Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton, who died in 1999. Finalists will be announced in January and the winner will be announced during the 5th Annual NFL Honors awards show, which airs nationally on Feb. 6, the night before Super Bowl 50, from 9-11 p.m. ET on CBS.
Each of the nominees receives a $5,000 donation courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide to the charity of his choice. The winner will receive an additional $50,000 donation to his charity, while the two runner-ups will receive an additional $6,000 donation to their charities.
“Serving their communities and philanthropic causes is a strong and long-standing tradition of NFL players,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “These outstanding young men embrace and represent that important commitment of giving back to our communities. We salute and thank our players for their leadership.”
To further celebrate and promote the 32 nominees, Nationwide, the presenting sponsor of the award, will execute an inaugural Charity Challenge. Team nominees will each have a unique hashtag and fans will be encouraged to tweet using player hashtags. The player hashtag that generates the most mentions will win a $20,000 donation to his charity of choice from Nationwide.
Below is a list of team nominees. For more team nominees and award information, visit NFL.com/manoftheyear.
Arizona Cardinals – Patrick Peterson
Atlanta Falcons – Patrick DiMarco
Baltimore Ravens – Steve Smith Sr.
Buffalo Bills – Eric Wood
Carolina Panthers – Greg Olsen
Chicago Bears – Matt Forté
Cincinnati Bengals – Carlos Dunlap
Cleveland Browns – Gary Barnidge
Dallas Cowboys – Brandon Carr
Denver Broncos – David Bruton Jr.
Detroit Lions – Stephen Tulloch
Green Bay Packers – Sam Barrington
Houston Texans – J.J. Watt
Indianapolis Colts – Dwayne Allen
Jacksonville Jaguars – Zane Beadles
Kansas City Chiefs – Eric Berry
Miami Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill
Minnesota Vikings – Chad Greenway
New England Patriots – Devin McCourty
New Orleans Saints – Benjamin Watson
New York Giants – Eli Manning
New York Jets – Eric Decker
Oakland Raiders – Justin Tuck
Philadelphia Eagles – Connor Barwin
Pittsburgh Steelers – Cameron Heyward
San Diego Chargers – Darrell Stuckey
San Francisco 49ers – Anquan Boldin
Seattle Seahawks – Richard Sherman
St. Louis Rams – Chris Long
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Vincent Jackson
Tennessee Titans – Delanie Walker
Washington Redskins – Ryan Kerrigan