Winning any of the AP’s individual NFL awards, from MVP to top rookie, means plenty to players.
Being nominated for, no less winning, the Walter Payton Man of the Year award means more.
Don’t minimize how proud a guy is when he’s voted one of the prestigious individual awards. It’s a portion of his resume that jumps off the page the way Saquon Barkley hurdles over potential tacklers.
But being selected for the Payton award, renamed in 1999 for the great Chicago Bears running back and humanitarian, involves so much more than football achievements.
“It is probably one of my greatest accomplishments,” says 2013 winner Charles Tillman, who played 12 seasons at cornerback for the Bears and his final year with the Panthers.