Leonard Williams at Giants practice. — Giants.com

Giants D-lineman Leonard Williams Named 21st Annual "Good Guy"

Williams becomes the first Giants player to receive the award that was rebranded under its new name by the New York Giants Chapter of the Professional Football Writers of America

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jan 5, 2022 9:45 AM EST

New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams has been selected as the 21st annual Good Guy Award by members of the New York Giants Chapter of the Professional Football Writers of America.

The award, previously named in honor of Hall of Fame general manager George Young, has been expanded to include former general manager Ernie Accorsi's name in addition to Young's, two general managers who were regularly generous with their time in assisting the daily beat writers with doing their jobs.

Williams, who has been a weekly participant in the Giants' podium sessions, was recognized for his honest, insightful, and candid answers to the many questions he faced during a challenging season. Williams was openly candid and didn't duck any topic brought to him, often providing insightful answers lending themselves into a window of his thinking and, often enough, the team's.

Williams received seven of a possible 16 first-place votes. Safety Julian Love finished second in this year’s voting with four first-place votes. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay finished third with two first-place votes. Fullback Eli Penny received two first-place votes, and cornerback James Bradberry received one. Ten different players appeared on at least one of the 16 ballots.

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The New York Giants Chapter of the Professional Football Writers of America voted to add Accorsi's name to the award this year in recognition of a long career as one of the most accessible, gregarious, quotable, and admired people to ever work in an NFL front office.

Accorsi, a former sportswriter who rose in the NFL ranks to general manager, joined the Giants in 1998 as the assistant general manager under Young. He then took over as the general manager when Young left the team for a position with the league office, and Accorsi held the role until 2006.

“It means a lot to me that this comes from the media, to know you were fair and honest with them,” Accorsi said of having his name added to the award.

“I really enjoyed my interaction with the New York media. It was a great experience, the give and take. George was a master at that. Anything that has to do with George means a lot to me. I really appreciate this, especially because of the connection to George.”