Jarvis Landry is Cleveland’s nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

Talented wide receiver has shown great skills on and off the field

By Barry Shuck Dec 12, 2019, 6:09pm EST

Jarvis Landry at the inaugural “Jarvis Landry & Friends Celebrity Softball Game” at Classic Park

The NFL has announced their list of every club’s nominee for the “2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award” with the Browns’ Jarvis Landry as their candidate.

This award is given out annually to one player in the league honoring his volunteer work plus the time he has spent with various charitable organizations. Each club nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community and charitable causes.

The winner receives $250,000 for their favorite charity donated in their name. Each of the 31 runner-ups receive a $50,000 donation. The winner is selected from a panel that consists of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the 2018 winner plus several former players.

A special Walter Payton Man of the Year badge is then worn on the winner’s jersey to signify his efforts as well as the honor. Currently, there are six former winners still playing: Eli Manning, J.J. Watt, Thomas Davis, Drew Brees, Jason Witten and Larry Fitzgerald.

The first award was given to Baltimore Colts’ quarterback Johnny Unitas in 1970. From 1970 - 1998, the award was simply called the “NFL Man of the Year Award.” In 1999, the NFL decided to honor Payton after his death, one of the league’s greatest philanthropists.

Eight winners have come from the AFC North and represent every team in the division except Cleveland. The last five years the Browns’ nominees were:

2018 LB Christian Kirksey

2017 TE Randall Teifer

2016 OT Joe Thomas

2015 TE Gary Barnidge

2014 LB Craig Robertson

Last year, Landry hosted a charity softball game at Classic Park in Eastlake that benefited local charities. In the past, he has been involved in the Special Olympics. In 2018, he helped raise money for cystic fibrosis with sales of a special T-shirt called the “65 Roses” shirt. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is one of Landry’s favorite charitable recipients.

The full list of 2019 nominees:

Cardinals running back David Johnson

Falcons safety Ricardo Allen

Ravens cornerback Brandon Carr

Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton

Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson

Bengals running back Giovani Bernard

Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry

Cowboys center Travis Frederick

Broncos safety Justin Simmons

Lions linebacker Devon Kennard