Veteran defensive backs and team leaders Richard Sherman of San Francisco and Malcolm Jenkins of Philadelphia are among 32 nominees for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
The award, now in its 50th year — it was named after the late Hall of Fame running back in 1999 — will be handed out in Miami on Feb. 1, the night before the Super Bowl at NFL Honors, when The Associated Press reveals its individual NFL award winners.
The award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field.
“Every day, in cities and towns across America, NFL players give of themselves to make our communities better,”NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says. “This year, as we celebrate our 100th season and the 50th year of the Walter Payton NFL Man of Year Award, NFL players have continued to raise the bar on community engagement and impact.”
All 32 nominees will receive a donation of up to $50,000 in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the award will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice.
Current players to win the award are Drew Brees, Thomas Davis, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, Eli Manning and J.J. Watt.
The nominees, in alphabetical order of teams:
Arizona Cardinals, David Johnson
Atlanta Falcons, Ricardo Allen
Baltimore Ravens, Brandon Carr
Buffalo Bills, Lorenzo Alexander
Carolina Panthers, Cam Newton
Chicago Bears, Allen Robinson II
Cincinnati Bengals, Giovani Bernard
Cleveland Browns, Jarvis Landry
Dallas Cowboys, Travis Frederick
Denver Broncos, Justin Simmons
Detroit Lions, Devon Kennard
Green Bay Packers, Blake Martinez
Houston Texans, D.J. Reader
Indianapolis Colts, Pierre Desir
Jacksonville Jaguars, Calais Campbell
Kansas City Chiefs, Dustin Colquitt
Los Angeles Chargers, Uchenna Nwosu
Los Angeles Rams, Andrew Whitworth
Miami Dolphins, Davon Godchaux
Minnesota Vikings, Kyle Rudolph
New England Patriots, Kyle Van Noy
New Orleans Saints, Terron Armstead
New York Giants, Nate Solder
New York Jets, Jonotthan Harrison
Oakland Raiders, Tahir Whitehead
Philadelphia Eagles, Malcolm Jenkins
Pittsburgh Steelers, Maurkice Pouncey
San Francisco 49ers, Richard Sherman
Seattle Seahawks, Bobby Wagner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mike Evans
Tennessee Titans, Ben Jones
Washington Redskins, Nick Sundberg
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