Kenny Clark named Packers' nominee for Walter Payton man of the year award
GREEN BAY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Kenny Clark has been named the Packers’ team nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which recognizes a player for his excellence on and off the field and is among the league’s most prestigious awards.
Three of the nominees will be selected as finalists for the award, named for Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton. Each of the league’s 32 nominees were announced today, and finalists will be announced in January.
As a nominee, Clark will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field. New this year, all 32 team winners will be highlighted as finalists and recognized for their important work during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl LIII.
The winner will be announced in Atlanta at NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on Feb. 2, the eve of Super Bowl LIII, on CBS. The award winner will receive $500,000 in his name, half of which will be donated to expand Character Playbook, the NFL and United Way’s digital character education program. The other half will be donated to the charity of his choice.
All other 31 nominees will receive a donation of $50,000 in their name to expand Character Playbook, and an additional donation of up to $50,000 to their charity of choice.
For the fourth year, each Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee will also take part in the Charity Challenge, a social media challenge that encourages fans to tweet using a unique hashtag for each player. The player hashtag that generates the most mentions between Dec. 6 and Jan. 13 will win an additional $25,000 donation to the charity of his choice.
Fans can support Clark by tweeting with the hashtag #WPMOYChallenge + Clark to help him earn a donation to his chosen charity, Prison Fellowship – Angel Tree, a program that helps incarcerated parents give gifts to their children on holidays and birthdays.
In his third season in the NFL and with the Green Bay Packers, Clark was selected as the Packers’ nominee to honor his continual investment of his time and talents outside of football in the community.
A leader on Green Bay’s defense, Clark has made his presence known both on and off the field, investing his time and talents into the community. For the past three years, he has found numerous ways to make an impact, from donating celebrity dinners to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay, to spending time with the Make-A-Wish children that visit Packers practices and games throughout the year.
Prior to the 2018 season, he was one of six current and former players that took part in the 2018 Green Bay Packers Tailgate Tour, traveling throughout southern Wisconsin, eastern Iowa and the Milwaukee area to visit fans and raise money for local nonprofits.
Clark has also participated in the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign to help raise funds for the annual program, and he raised money for Northeast Wisconsin Technical College at the Packers Give Back Celebrity Bowling event. In addition, he’s dedicated his time back home in California, where he hosted his second annual youth football camp this past summer.
For more information on the team nominees and the award, visit NFL.com/manoftheyear.