Vikings safety Madieu Williams wins Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award

In recognition of his philanthropic work that reaches to his native Sierra Leone, Vikings safety Madieu Williams has been named the 2010 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

The NFL announced the news during Super Bowl pre-game festivities. The seventh-year NFL safety is the second Vikings player to win the award since its inception in 1970. Wide receiver Cris Carter won the award in 1999.

Williams is currently in the Persian Gulf visiting U.S. troops.

"It is a tremendous honor to win this award named after Walter Payton, one of the greatest men to ever play in the National Football League," said Williams, who will earn $20,000 toward his favorite charity. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to accept the award, but it's an even greater honor to be here in Iraq with Task Force Iron Horse on a goodwill tour watching the Super Bowl with our troops."

Williams is known for his good works locally and in Sierra Leone, where he donated $2 million to ...