The Las Vegas Raiders have announced Pro Bowl tight end, Darren Waller, as their nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
Waller is being considered for the league's most prestigious award.
Each of the league's 32 nominees was announced Tuesday, and as a nominee, Waller will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition for his outstanding community service off the field, as well as excellence on the field.
“You look at maybe four or five years ago, I was probably the last person that would even be considered for that role. I do find gratitude and it allows me to reflect and see how far I've come and how much I changed from the inside out. And how I do care about the community that I'm in, the world I'm in and shedding my light in a positive way,” said Waller.
His career with the Baltimore Ravens ended early with NFL suspensions, and since his arrival to the Raiders, Waller has turned his NFL career around and become a Pro Bowler and arguably one of the best tight ends in the league.
In his three years with the Raiders, Waller has been open about overcoming substance abuse and his day-to-day battles with drug addiction.
“I want people to be able to say, ‘wow’, being around him changed me or motivated me, or it made me feel loved or safe or whatever it was. I want them to be able to say that because I was around them,” Waller added.
Waller has conducted concerts, food drives, youth-football camps, virtual meetings with families in need, and help kids navigate through the same stresses he dealt with growing up, but he is most grateful for being able to send people who are dealing with drug addiction to treatment.
The 2021 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, on the Thursday before Super Bowl LVI, on ABC.
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