The Packers announced earlier today that running back Aaron Jones will be their nominee for the 2021 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
“It means everything to me.”
Congratulations to @Showtyme_33 on being the #Packers nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award 📰: https://t.co/Ll483Za2P0 #WPMOY | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/0DGVH0J4hC
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 7, 2021
Jones was named the Packers’ nominee for the NFL’s most prestigious award earlier today.
“It means everything to me,” Jones told the team’s website of his nomination. “Me and my family have always been big on giving back to the community and different things like that. Just to be mentioned in the same sentence as some of these guys who are nominated or some of these guys who have won before is a huge honor.”
Jones has taken his community involvement to the next level in the last year by launching the A&A All the Way Foundation with his twin brother, Alvin. The A&A All the Way Foundation is dedicated to making an impact in the lives of children through charitable giving and action, and it executes events that inspire, educate and promote unity and diversity across multiple communities. The Foundation helps address children’s basic needs, providing opportunities for recreation and fitness, and supporting children in military families.
Through the Foundation, Jones has done turkey giveaways for needy families in both El Paso and Green Bay, run football camps for kids and given bikes away to students. He has also extended his Yards for Shoes campaign, which donates a pair of shoes to children at Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Wisconsin for every rushing yard he gains this season up to 1,000 yards. The Foundation also includes the Freedom Is Campaign, which just launched in 2021 and focuses on honoring military families each month by raising funds to provide joy-filled experiences to children who have parents serving in the military, such as a trip to the zoo or a family movie night.
The award was first established in 1970 and was renamed after the late Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton in 1999.
“The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is the League’s most prestigious honor and these 32 men represent their many teammates who do incredible things in their communities,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Their unwavering commitment to their hometowns and team communities embodies Walter’s spirit of giving back in a way that makes us all incredibly proud of the work they are doing every day.”
All 32 nominees will receive up to a $40,000 donation in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of their choice.