PITTSBURGH — All NFL teams announced their nominees for the prestigious Water Payton NFL Man of the Year Award Tuesday.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the nominee is a repeat favorite: Cam Heyward.
This is the sixth year, and third year in a row, Heyward has been nominated for the award that recognizes a player’s off-field community service and their strength on the field.
The Steelers say it’s Heyward’s love for the community and passion for making a difference makes him their ideal representative.
“Pittsburgh has meant so much to my family,” said Heyward. “To get to play in this league right next door to where my dad started his football career has been really special. It’s important to me to give back to this community that has blessed my family in so many ways.”
Heyward gives back to Pittsburgh in many ways, like through his foundation that supports programs like Pittsburgh is Stronger than Cancer, Suiting Up for Success, the Caring Place and Voices of Hope Scholarship. Or, through “Cam’s Kindness Week” — where he reaches out to different factions of the community daily. He’s also branching out into mentoring youth.
“As a coach, you hope to have a guy like Cam on your roster,” said Coach Mike Tomlin. “Someone you can point out to the younger players and say, ‘You want to be successful? Study film like this guy, compete like this guy, serve your community and your family like this guy.’ He’s done all the right things on and off the field consistently for a long time now. You hope your young guys absorb that.”
Heyward, and the rest of the award nominees, will be honored during the week leading up to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. The winner will be announced during NFL Honors on Feb. 8.
Each nominee receives up to $55,000 donation for a charity of his choice and the winner gets a $250,000 donation.
Additionally, fans are encouraged to participate in Nationwide’s annual Charity Challege — a social media and online contest where fans show support for their favorite nominee. To participate, fans can vote on X, formerly Twitter, by posting #WPMOYChallenge along with the last name or handle of their chosen nominee. You can also vote directly on the NFL’s website. The nominee with the most hashtag mentions and votes wins an additional $35,000 donation to his charity.
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