The Carolina Panthers have nominated NFL veteran Bradley Bozeman for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
The award is there to recognize a player's efforts on and off the field.
On the field, Bozeman took over the Panthers' starting center spot last season. However, the offensive lineman has been making an impact in his community long before his on-field production.
Bradley Bozeman's community impact
Bozeman spent a lot of his early community impact initiatives on anti-bullying, according to Panthers.com.
"During their RV road trip in 2020, the Bozemans focused on anti-bullying assemblies in schools, spreading a message of support and inclusivity for vulnerable children. To date, Bradley and Nikki have shared their message with over 250,000 students," Panthers.com reads.
Bozeman, alongside his wife, has helped fight childhood food insecurity as well.
"Bozeman began the SYNC snack program with community partners in his first two months here. The program (SYNC stands for Serving Your Neighbors and Communities) has packed over 17,000 boxes of food in the last year alone, directly impacting the city they call home," Darin Gantt of Panthers.com writes.
Bozeman is one of 32 nominees for the award. The 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winner will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air nationally on CBS on Thursday, Feb. 8.
Each nominee will receive up to a $55,000 donation, and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award winner will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice. All donations are made possible by the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.
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