The Indianapolis Colts officially reported that linebacker and team captain Zaire Franklin has been selected as their Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee.
Franklin has been a model leader on the field and in the locker room for the Colts. This goes back to his 2022 breakout season, where he would set the Colts’ single-season tackle record (167) amid a brutally bad season where several players had little to no morale left.
Fast-track to 2023, and he’s playing even better, currently on pace to easily surpass his previous tackle record. However, while he’s a force on the field, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award is for community impact and acts of the heart.
Below is the NFL’s description of the prestigious accolade:
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. The award was established in 1970. It was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton. Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community.
Representing the best of the NFL’s commitment to philanthropy and community impact, 32 players are selected as their team’s Man of the Year and become eligible to win the national award.
There have been multiple ways that Franklin has impacted his hometown of Philadelphia and his franchise’s city, Indianapolis, but perhaps none more than his foundation honoring his late mother and grandmother, "Shelice’s Angels" (named after his mother). He would lose them both tragically at the age of just 16.
In an interview with Colts.com writer JJ Stankevitz in August of this year, Franklin went into further detail about his inspirations, his foundation, Shelice’s Angels, and what it means to him to be a force of good in the community.
During the interview, Franklin would talk to Stankvitz about how Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner was a mentor to him and how he learned so much from the former Super Bowl champion defender, but what impressed Franklin more than Wagner’s on-field prowess was the love Wagner has for giving back.
“Yes, he was a great player, yes he was a great leader," Franklin said of Wagner. "But also he affected every community in which he was in a positive manner. And he left it better how he found it.”
This type of example and impression gives Franklin the fire to keep spreading love through his foundation, "Shelice’s Angels."
Below is a brief rundown of the foundation, per its website:
Organized in 2019, our goal is to help young women see the many opportunities available to them outside of their current environments. We strive to open doors and provide resources that will help build self-esteem while providing positive reinforcement in the lives of young women. Shelice’s Angels has already touched the lives of hundreds of adolescent women with several initiatives that have promoted careers in technology, community giving, and academic achievement.
Our founder, Zaire Franklin, was raised by two strong women that instilled in him a strong belief of giving, academics, and a strong “can do” mindset. He would like to pay these qualities forward to young women all while giving them a head start in life.
Since our inception, Shelice’s Angels has been hard at work at not only inspiring young women but also by empowering our community and giving them tools that are necessary for them to reach their full potential. This is demonstrated by our flagship programs; the Shelice’s Angels Business Academy and Day in the Life.”
With the foundation also having partners such as Google and Wilson, Franklin’s cause for love is spreading and making an impact in many ways.
While the award of NFL Man of the Year is a wonderful honor, what’s most important is the positivity that Franklin has injected into his community and teammates through being inspired by his mother and grandmother, harnessing the lessons and love that they showed to him growing up in Philadelphia.
The last Colts player to win the award was none other than Hall of Fame QB and Colts Ring of Honor member, Peyton Manning, in 2005.
Could Franklin’s impact be enough to garner the award? Regardless of whether he does or not, Franklin is already a winner on and off the field for the Colts franchise and will continue to be an unstoppable force of love for his community, just as he chases yet another record-breaking season for Indianapolis.
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