Former NC State and current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was named the 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Saturday at NFL Honors, the league's season-end award show.
The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award is considered the NFL's most prestigious accolade and is presented to a player in recognition of his "outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on it."
"Dad, I know one of your favorite athletes of all-time was Walter Payton," Wilson said in his acceptance speech with a message to his father, who passed away in 2010. "The player he was, but more importantly the man he was, the leader, the giver, the person. Man, dad, I wish you were here for this award. This moment. Dad, I can remember you telling me in the car one day, 'Son, love changes things.' Well, dad, you were right. I wish you were here to tell the world that in the toughest of times. 2020 was one of the most difficult times in history.
"To America, to the world, love is patient, love is kind, love changes things. The great Walter Payton once said, 'We are stronger together than we are alone.' Dad, I think Walter was right. To the young boy or girl who has a dream, who wants to make a difference. Remember this one thing, love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love changes things. Thank you."
Wilson is the first quarterback to win the award since Eli Manning in 2016 and the first member of the Seahawks franchise to do so since wide receiver Steve Largent in 1988.
A nominee is selected from all 32 teams in the NFL and each received a $40,000 donation in their names to a charity of their choice. Wilson, the winner, receives a $250,000 charity in his name to a charity of his choice.
Wilson was previously nominated for the award in 2014 in his third year in the league.
The Seahawks quarterback earned this season's award for his off-the-field efforts to help feed children, families and the elderly.
Wilson and his wife, singer-songwriter Ciara, donated $1 million to Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. He also partnered with Wheels Up to create Meals Up and teamed up with Door Dash, Rockefeller Foundation and United Way Worldwide with his Why Not You Foundation to deliver food and supplies to 175 communities across the country.
Wilson has been known to utilize his resources and time for charity since joining the NFL. He's visited Seattle Children's Hospital every Tuesday during the season since his rookie campaign in 2012.
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