As part of the NFL’s regular season awards, after every season an NFL player is honored for their volunteer and charity work, as well as their excellence on the field with the “Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award.”
Each season one player is nominated from each of the NFL’s 32 teams and the winner is selected from panel of judges, which includes the Commissioner of the NFL, Connie Payton (widow of Walter Payton), the previous year’s winner, and a number of former players select the winner of the award.
In 2017, the NFL added new incentives that allow fans to take part in the selection process.
According to the league, “Fans are encouraged to post #WPMOYChallenge and their favorite nominee’s last name on social media between Dec. 11 and Jan. 7. The nominee who receives the most hashtag mentions will win an additional $25,000 donation to his charity of choice from Nationwide, the runner-up will receive $10,000 and the third-place winner will receive $5,000
The New England Patriots nominee for 2017 is tackle Nate Solder and various teammates came out to show support and campaign for him with social media postings sharing personal tributes for his hard work and dedication. You can checkout this detailed story by Patriots.com writer Angelique Fiske that povides six reasons as to why he should be selected and some background on Solder’s young son’s battle with cancer.
An excellent role model on and off the field. Thank you Nate for being such a great teammate. Post the hashtag #WPMOYChallenge +Solder Or #RT so we can help Nate win this award! @soldernate
— Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) December 29, 2017
Don’t forget to vote for @soldernate #WPMOYChallenge+Solder
— James White (@SweetFeet_White) December 28, 2017
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