Opinion: NFL Man of the Year winner to be announced soon

Walter Payton SweetnessPhoto byNFL Fandom

Payton’s motto was Never Die Easy, aptly describing his playing philosophy; he refused to run out of bounds deliberately…opponents who tried to tackle him took his punishment while trying to force him down or out of bounds. In our opinion, this is a message to The Chiefs and The Eagles on Game Day...

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community. Kansas City Chief, Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia Eagles, Brandon Graham are in the running this year. See all 32 nominees. Since the 1st Annual NFL Honors in 2012, the show has been held during Super Bowl week in the city hosting the game.

For a refresher, Walter Payton was a record setting running back for the NFL Chicago Bears. He is remembered as one of the greatest football players of all time, breaking and setting new records in the years he played both college and pro football.

In college he acquired the nickname “Sweetness”, whose meaning is somewhat ambiguous…it seems to stem from his likable personality and athletic grace while at the same time a sarcastic description of his aggressive playing style.

Walter Payton’s cards were 3♣️ 3♣️3♣️…All Threes are creative and must use their creative energy in a positive way, they can be warriors.… Walter Payton was certainly the warrior!

Walter Payton's triple 3♣️ tells us he was a super charged Leo, making him very creative. Three♣️ people can be highly successful in the profession of their choice. Whether they are writers, teachers, performers, business people or athletes, they can manifest their extremely creative gifts and abilities when using them in a positive way.

Tragically Walter Payton died at the young age of 45 from a rare liver disease. He spent his final months advocating for organ transplants , even though his disease was too advanced for him to benefit from a liver transplant. In April of 1999 he made his final public appearance at a Chicago Cubs game, throwing the ceremonial first pitch.

We look forward to this year's recipient, who will join the prestigious list of men.