Andrew Whitworth Recalls Powerful Interaction with Derrick Barnes at NFL Honors Ceremony

Veteran Andrew Whitworth mentions the interaction he had with Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes at the NFL Honors ceremony Thursday evening.

Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth is the latest recipient of the Walter Man of the Year Award.

Among the most prestigious awards the NFL hands out, Whitworth is the first player ever from the Rams to win the award.

The award is presented last at the NFL Honors Show and rewards community service activities off of the field, as well as excellence on it.

For winning Man of the Year, Whitworth received a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice.

The other 31 nominees, including fullback Jason Cabinda of the Lions, each received a $40,000 donation in their name to a charity of their choosing.

During his acceptance speech, Whitworth highlighted the tremendous impact players can have when they go out into the community and speak with youth who look up to them.

Lions rookie linebacker Derrick Barnes made it a point to catch up with the veteran left tackle after the Lions were defeated in the regular season at SoFi Stadium.

“One experience brought it all together for me this year, and it happened to me on a football field,” Whitworth shared with the audience and viewers on television. “In our game against the Detroit Lions, I had a young player from the Lions run up to me as soon as the final horn went off. And I saw him sprinting over, and I didn’t know what was going on -- like we’d known each other forever. I couldn’t place him. It made me so nervous. Had I actually played long enough that a coach’s son or player’s son is playing against me? He stopped that."

Whitworth continued, "He said, ‘Hey man, you’re not going to remember me. I’m Derrick Barnes. You spent time with me when you were a young player in Cincinnati at the Boys and Girls Club, and it meant the world to me. You used to sit with me and talk to me about life. And I was just a little kid. I want you to know how much it meant to me. The main thing I wanted to say, 'Whit, I made it. I made it to the NFL, Big Whit.'"

"I made it to the NFL, big Whit."

Lions rookie Derrick Barnes ran up to Whitworth at the end of their Week 7 game.

And put everything into perspective. #WPMOY pic.twitter.com/2eJ6W7zS7l
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2022

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