'This Is Special!' Bills OL Dion Dawkins Talks Walter Payton Man of The Year Race
Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins has always been a man of the people. He’s the champion of Bills Mafia and a staple in the Buffalo community.
For the second consecutive year, Dawkins is nominated for perhaps the NFL’s most prestigious honor: the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The award is given to the player the league chooses to celebrate for fundraising and community service ventures.
On Tuesday, he joined NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” to speak about his nomination.
“This nominee, this is a big one,” Dawkins said. “This is one that can’t be bought, it can’t be faked. It can’t be just given. This is one that has to come from a lot of work, a lot of personalities, lot of thumbs up and less thumbs down.
“You have to be one with yourself and you have to be true. This is the biggest accomplishment that I could achieve, to be in a group of men that are doing great things for, usually, people they don’t know.”
If Dawkins ends up winning the award, his first, he would be awarded a $250,000 donation to a charity of his choice. Presumably, this would go to his foundation – Dion’s Dreamers – which helps underserved local communities.
His organization recently held a talent show for the children it serves. There, with the help of his family, Dawkins was surprised with his nomination.
Dawkins continued to speak about his approach to service and prioritizing love in his actions.
“Not that it’s hard to do things for people, but in this world, people make it seem like it’s hard to be a good person,” Dawkins said. “It’s crazy that we’re talking about getting an award or something like that just for being a good person. I just choose to love over hate.”
Spending seven years in the league is an accomplishment in itself. Getting nominated twice for an award that is meant to embody one’s character is even more impressive. In typical Dawkins fashion, he was quick to share the credit that goes into such an achievement.
“This is special,” Dawkins said. “To get it twice is a testimony to my relationship with God and my family and the people in my community and the people here in the building that help me and guide me in where presence is needed.”
