Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long has been named the 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, the league just announced.
One of the NFL’s most prestigious honors, the award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field.
The Chris Long Foundation will receive a $250,000 donation for winning the award, and an additional $250,000 will be donated to United Way in Long’s name to expand Character Playbook across the country. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation, Nationwide and United Way Worldwide.
Long released this statement shortly after being presented:
The Eagles owner and chairman, Jeffrey Lurie released this statement on the matter.
Long’s foundation has accounted for over $2.25 million in donations to education, while his Water Boys initiative through his foundation that’s dedicated to providing clean water to communities in East Africa, has surpassed the goal of building 32 deep-bore wells to represent the 32 NFL teams.
Last season, Long donated his game checks to help fund literacy programs in his hometown of Charlottesville, Va., and the three cities in which he’s played as a pro: St. Louis, Boston and Philadelphia.
