KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Every year, each NFL team gets to nominate one player for the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award given for outstanding community service and excellence on the field.
This year, the Chiefs nominated TE Travis Kelce for the elite award.
The team cited Kelce's work with his own organization, 87 & Running Foundation, as well as his work with Operation Breakthrough. Both allow him to work with disadvantaged youth in Kansas City and in his Ohio hometown.
"We are very proud to call Travis a member of our Chiefs family, and we believe he is a deserving candidate for this prestigious honor," Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said of the decision. "From the time he was drafted in 2013, Travis has grown into one of the most dependable and dynamic players in team history – both on and off the football field. He continues to be the best tight end in the game, and he is well on his way to being remembered as one of greatest ever to play the position."
The 32 nominees will be recognized the weekend leading up to the Super Bowl, and the winner will be announced during NFL Honors, which airs nationally the week of the Super Bowl.
Kelce and the other nominees will receive a $40,000 donation to the charity of their choice, and the winner will receive a $250,000 donation.
The Chiefs favorite will also receive a Man of the Year helmet decal to wear for the remainder of the season.
“Being nominated as the Chiefs Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year is one of the greatest honors of my professional career,” Kelce said of the nomination. "I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve done and want to thank my foundation team for their dedication and the Chiefs for their support of this important work. What I’ve accomplished on the field alongside my teammates over the years – especially last year – means so much more knowing that what has been accomplished off of the field is making a difference in the lives of others here in Kansas City and in my hometown of Cleveland Heights.”
Kelce has donated $750,000 to charitable efforts through his foundation since its founding in 2015 and another $250,000 is scheduled to be donated before the end of the year.
He also developed the 87 & Running Robotics Lab with Operation Breakthrough that serves students in Kansas City and has also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the organization.
