Every year, NFL teams are invited to nominate their players for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which is given to a player who shows excellence on and off the field.
This year’s winner is Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Dak Prescott, who’s charity work for the Faith Fight Finish Foundation focuses on cancer research and suicide prevention.
As reported in People Magazine, Prescott’s mother, Peggy, died of colon cancer in 2013. At the NFL Honors ceremony in early February, Prescott spoke lovingly of his mother,
“My mother was, and still is, my moral compass. And through my own charitable contributions, I seek to share her strength and courage with the world.”
Following his brother Jace’s suicide in 2020, Prescott expanded the work of the Faith Fight Finish Foundation to include suicide prevention. He made a promise to himself “that that would be one life taken to save millions.”
Winners of the Man of the Year award are granted $250,000 to donate to a charity of their choice. Nominees are granted up to $40,000 to donate to charity through the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.
Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes was also nominated for the award in 2022, as was Saquon Barley of the New York Giants. Last year’s winner was Los Angeles Rams tackle, Andrew Whitworth.