Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award: What to know about the league's top honor

The annual NFL Honors program celebrates the best players and performances from the past season, and also announces the latest class to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This year's two-hour show, hosted by Kelly Clarkson, takes place from 7-9 p.m. at Phoenix Symphony Hall and will be televised by NBC, the NFL Network and Peacock.

A highlight of the evening is announcing the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, the league's most prestigious award. All 32 teams nominate a player based on their on-field performance and how they give back to their community.

Many of the players who are nominated for, and win, the Payton award found their own nonprofit organizations to help with their philanthropic efforts. Some are quite successful in this space, notably recently retired Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt, whose foundation after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area ensured virtually every dollar donated went to relief and recovery efforts.

Other players, however, have struggled to make their efforts work. Although the award winners are lauded by the NFL at the highest levels, the league is less vigorous in helping educate its players about best practices for success in this space. As a result, some players end up relying on well-meaning relatives, or turning to management companies who, as was uncovered during a six-month investigation by Jason Wolf of The Arizona Republic, divert more money away from the intended charities than is generally considered acceptable by watchdog groups.

Arizona Republic investigation: NFL players' nonprofits often spend little on charity

Here is what you should know about the Payton award, and some of what The Republic learned during its reporting:

What is the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award?

This honor recognizes a player for excellence on and off the field, with an emphasis on community service and philanthropy, and is described by the league as its most prestigious honor.

The award was first bestowed for the 1969 season when it was known as the Gladiator Award and renamed NFL Man of the Year the next season. Payton received the award for the 1977 season, and it was renamed in honor of the Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back after his death in 1999.

Do Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winners have to found a charitable nonprofit?

With the award's emphasis on community service and philanthropy, having one's own 501(c)(3) is certainly an option, but it is by no means a requirement, and in some cases can create problems. A six-month investigation by The Arizona Republic found the NFL devotes significant energy to lauding its players’ philanthropy and community service but does not vet the nonprofits founded by the men it honors, leaving that responsibility to the players’ teams. And neither the NFL nor the NFL Players Association match their promotional efforts when it comes to educating players on the nonprofit sector. As a result, players often found nonprofit organizations that stumble for years.

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Does all donated money to NFL Man of the Year winners' nonprofits make it to charity?

There are great examples where that happens brilliantly, as with the JJ Watt Foundation, whose tax records reported $51 million in revenue and $49.7 million in expenses through 2020, including $48.3 million — or 97 cents of every dollar spent — on charitable activities. (The numbers are much higher than similar tax-exempt foundations because of Watt’s viral Hurricane Harvey relief campaign in 2017.)

On the other hand, some players' foundations run into administrative obstacles that dilute the money actually getting to the intended charities. In one case, The Republic's investigation discovered, a management company was taking eye-raising cuts of the money and in-kind donations. In another, the nonprofit was paying six-figure salaries out of the charitable donations to pay high-level executives.

How does the NFL support its players' charitable efforts?

The NFL distributes to its teams a four-page tip sheet about starting a player foundation, but teams are not required to distribute the document, and Payton award winners and nominees who spoke with The Republic had no knowledge the tip sheet existed.

The NFLPA, which bestows a similar honor to the Payton award – the Alan Page Community Award – always stresses the importance of financial literacy, provides resources for players and encourages its members to consult a registered financial advisor for guidance on the nonprofit sector.

NFLPA spokesperson George Atallah said the nonprofit sector is briefly addressed during a formal rookie onboarding program the week of the annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, but confirmed there is no formal nonprofit education provided by the union to active NFL players. The NFL ended its rookie symposium, which brought players to a central location to learn about relevant off-the-field issues, in 2016 and replaced it with mandatory rookie orientation provided by individual teams. Topics include social responsibility, respect at work, mental health, character, values and player engagement resources, but little to nothing specific about the nonprofit sector.

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How can NFL players ensure donated money reaches charity?

Rather than founding their own tax-exempt nonprofit, players can partner with an established entity. Fitzgerald said he chose a fiscal sponsorship over creating an independent 501(c)(3) on the advice of a financial adviser in 2005, during his second season in the NFL.

Robert Ashcraft, executive director of the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation at Arizona State University, teaches a class called “How to start a 501(c)(3).” He said it’s often far more efficient for professional athletes to use their fame and fortune to enhance the fundraising and social impact of an existing nonprofit rather than creating an organization that duplicates programs and services within a community.

What does the winner receive?

The winner receives the Gladiator statue — a gleaming bronze trophy of a football player wearing a cape — a special patch to wear on his jersey for the rest of his career and a $250,000 donation to his charity of choice from the NFL Foundation and Nationwide, a corporate sponsor. The other 31 nominees, one from each team, each receive up to $40,000.

Who is eligible to win the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award?

Each of the 32 NFL teams nominates one player who has had a significant, positive impact on his community.

Have any Arizona Cardinals won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award?

Kurt Warner, in 2008, and Larry Fitzgerald, in 2016 (co-winner with Eli Manning of the New York Giants) are the only Cardinals players to win the honor. Several players either played for the Cardinals and won elsewhere, or won with another team and came to Arizona. This list includes Calais Campbell (Jacksonville, 2019), J.J. Watt (Houston, 2017) and Anquan Boldin (San Francisco, 2015).

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NFL's top honor: Challenges that Payton Man of the Year winners face