Seahawks QB Russell Wilson Nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

As one of 32 selections representing each NFL team, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been nominated as a finalist for the 2020 Walter Payton Award.

Named in honor of the legendary Bears Hall of Fame running back, the prestigious award honors a player each year who exemplifies "outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on it." This is the second time Wilson has been nominated as Seattle's representative since entering the league in 2012.

Under center for Seattle, Wilson has thrown 259 regular season touchdown passes, one of the 23 major franchise records he currently holds, has been selected to seven Pro Bowls, and guided his team to a Super Bowl championship in 2013. Earlier this season, he passed Peyton Manning for the most wins through a quarterback's first nine seasons and joined Manning as the second player ever with 3,000 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns in each of his first nine seasons.

But during the most challenging year of our lifetimes, Wilson has made an even greater impact off the field. Back in March, through the Seattle Food Lifeline, the star quarterback and his wife Ciara donated one million meals to struggling families at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also partnered with the aviation company Wheels Up to help put food on the table for those impacted by lost jobs and schools being closed during the crisis, with those efforts yielding over 47 million meals to date for Feeding America.

In addition, Wilson's Why Not You Foundation partnered with United Way Worldwide, Rockefeller Foundation, and Door Dash to expand the Ride United program, which provides food and valuable supplies to vulnerable families. The pilot program was launched back in April and more than one million deliveries have already been made to 175 communities.

With the pandemic exposing our nation's lingering inequalities and injustices for Americans of color, Wilson and Ciara placed billboards around the country reading "Black Lives Matter, Love Russell and Ciara." The couple also teamed up with the I AM A VOTER campaign in efforts to show the importance of registering to vote to help bring positive change and Wilson was a catalyst in the Seahawks organization having 100 percent voter participation.

After visiting more than 600 pediatric patients during his NFL career to this point, Wilson has continued his weekly visits to Seattle Children's Hospital virtually. He and Ciara will launch the Why Not You Academy in Des Moines, Washington next year, a tuition-free charter school aiming to re-imagine education through mentor-based programs for the community it serves.

Beginning this week, all 32 nominees will sport an NFL Man of the Year decal on their helmets through the end of the season to celebrate their accomplishments on and off the field. Each nominee will receive a $40,000 donation to the charity of their choice and the winner, which will be announced during NFL Honors amid Super Bowl week, will receive an additional $250,000 donation.