Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year is an award presented annually by the National Football League honoring a player's commitment to philanthropy and community impact, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called simply the NFL Man of the Year Award. Shortly after Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton died, the award was renamed to honor his legacy as a humanitarian.
The NFL Man of the Year trophy was created in 1969 by artist Daniel Bennett Schwartz, depicting an undistinguished caped lineman standing alone on the sidelines, outside of game action. While offensive lineman Steve Wright was used as a model for the sculpture, the trophy has never been intended to specifically resemble anybody, symbolizing that the award is meant to recognize any player. This includes players who may perform in a lower-profile playing position outside the spotlight, and whose humanitarian contributions and efforts are worthy.
Each year, a winner is selected from 32 nominees from the 32 different teams. A panel of judges, which includes the Commissioner of the NFL, the previous year's winner, and a number of former players select the winner of the award. The Man of the Year winner receives a $250,000 donation in his name to a charity of his choice. The other 31 finalists also receive donations in their name of $50,000 each to charities of their choice. The Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Chicago Bears have had more winners of the award than any other teams, with five winners each.
Since 2017, previous winners who are currently active in the league wear a patch depicting the trophy on their uniforms for the rest of their NFL careers. The current active winners are Calais Campbell, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Cameron Heyward and Arik Armstead. Once the 32 nominees are announced, each of them is given a small helmet decal depicting the trophy to wear for the remainder of that season. Recent winners have also been acknowledged during the Super Bowl pre-game ceremony before "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner".
The NFL describes the award as its "most prestigious accolade" and recipients of the award sometimes place it among their most cherished.