Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees unite for community day at Boys & Girls Club
By Kyler Maira, WEBN Correspondent
Less than 24 hours after the Walter Payton Man of the Year award ceremony, nominees not playing in the Super Bowl visited the Boys & Girls Club and teamed up with the children for a day of fun and celebration.
“My cheeks hurt from smiling,” said a student at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Louisiana.
Outside, the nominees set up relay races and held hitting pads for the children to run through. They tossed footballs and danced with the students after each catch, hyping them up.
Meanwhile, inside, people shifted from sports to the arts. Players and children hung out and painted custom helmets. New England Patriots Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee Deatrich Wise Jr. worked in the art group throughout the two-hour event. He added the logo of his Wise Up Foundation on the side of his helmet.
“Inspiration for the helmet was really just trying to do something to emulate giving back,” he said. “And then I realized the main purpose of the whole thing is to unite”
Wise painted the sky on his helmet and said it represents the opportunities the Wise Up Foundation offers students, athletes, and veterans.
Panthers honoree Adam Thielen’s painted helmets while representing his foundation which focuses on youth development. He appreciated the time to connect with the children from New Orleans.
“Being around these kids from here, asking them about what they’re into, hanging out with them, hearing about their favorite types of food.” Thielen said. “You know, what sports they’re into. It’s a lot of fun for us.”
The players presented Angel Nelson, CEO of this Boys and Girls Club, a custom helmet.
“To really see my whole entire life history on this one helmet and really see my kids’ names on here,” she said. “This is very, very special to me,”
The helmet design highlighted her 20-year connection to the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Louisiana and had Navy-themed name tags of her three kids who serve in the military.
The spirit of giving lasted until the event’s final moments. Walter Payton Man of the Year winner Arik Armstead surprised two high school students, winners of the “Youth of the Year” award, with Super Bowl tickets on Sunday.