Newton, Sherman Among Nominees for 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

Dec 12, 2019

The NFL announced the 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees for each of the league's 32 teams on Thursday.

This year's list includes Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner. All 32 nominees are listed below.

Newton, the 2015 NFL MVP, has helped children through the Cam Newton Foundation, with the stated mission to "enhance the lives of youth by addressing their educational, physical and social needs."

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Sherman, a three-time First Team All-Pro, formed the Blanket Coverage Foundation, which "provides students in low-income communities with school supplies and clothing so they can more adequately achieve their goals." Blanket Coverage has been active since 2013.

Wagner, a four-time First Team All-Pro, has made news for charitable efforts throughout his career, particularly over the last year. Of note, the linebacker paid for everyone's groceries in a Seattle Safeway supermarket on Nov. 27 and helped pack 10,000 meals for children in his hometown of Ontario, California, earlier on May 18.

The winner will be announced at the NFL Honors show in Miami on Saturday, February 1, the day before Super Bowl LIV. Fox will televise the event.

The annual award, which was renamed in honor of Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton in 1999, has been issued since 1970. It was known as the NFL Man of the Year from 1970-1999.

Per the NFL, the award strives to honor "an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field."

NFL Foundation and Nationwide will grant $50,000 to a charity of each nominee's choice. The winner will receive an additional $250,000 donation to a charity of his choosing.

Those charities have the opportunity to earn even more money through Nationwide's Charity Challenge. Twitter users can post #WPMOYChallenge followed by their preferred candidate's last name. The player whose hashtag is used the most in his name will earn another $25,000 for his preferred charity. Second place gets $10,000, with third earning $5,000.

Six current NFL players have won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, including New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.

Former NFL defensive end Chris Long, who retired after the 2018 season, won it last season.

Walter Payton Man of the Year Nominees

Arizona Cardinals RB David Johnson

Atlanta Falcons S Ricardo Allen

Baltimore Ravens CB Brandon Carr

Buffalo Bills LB Lorenzo Alexander

Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton

Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson II

Cincinnati Bengals RB Giovani Bernard

Cleveland Browns WR Jarvis Landry

Dallas Cowboys C Travis Frederick

Denver Broncos LB Justin Simmons