Houston Texans long snapper Jon Weeks is the team's nominee for one of the league's most-prestigious honors in the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man Of The Year Award, the club announced on Tuesday.
"Jon Weeks is the epitome of a man who leads by example," Texans Chair and CEO Cal McNair said. "We're so proud of the leader he is on our team and in our community. For more than a decade, Jon has made a profound impact on everyone around him and he is extremely deserving of this honor."
Weeks, 37, has been with Houston since 2010 and is the longest-tenured player in team history, according to the Texans' website. The 2015 Pro Bowl selection has yet to miss a game in his 14-year career and has handled every punt, field goal and extra point snap in that time.
Off the field, Weeks has been a consistent contributor to the Houston area. Some of his most notable off-field endeavors include being a sponsor for the Houston Texans Community Huddle Ticket Program, annually bringing Thanksgiving dinner to patients at Texas Children's Hospital and taking kids from Child Advocates on Christmas shopping sprees, alongside his wife Amanda.
"My parents and grandparents always told me that if you're in a position to give and to better someone's life, it's your responsibility to do it," Weeks said. "I hope when I retire that people say, 'He was a good teammate, he was a better person and he cared about people. He went out and tried to make Houston a better place.'"
All 32 nominees, one from each team, will receive a donation of up to $55,000 in their name to a charity of their choice, and wear a special helmet decal for the remainder of the season. The winner, announced at the NFL Honors award show on Feb. 8, will get an additional $250,000 donation to a charity of their choice.
No Texans player has won Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in he franchise's short history. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott won the award last year due to his work in colon cancer research, mental health and suicide prevention and more.
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