LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Redskins announced Nick Sundberg as its nominee for the WALTER PAYTON NFL MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE. Considered one of the league’s most prestigious honors, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. Each of the league’s 32 nominees were announced.
Sundberg has been nominated for the second time in three years for this award because of his deep commitment to the community over his 10 seasons with the Redskins. He has participated in countless events hosted by the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, including Fuel Up to Play 60 events, the annual All-Star Survivors Celebration honoring women currently fighting breast cancer, Skins Santa Shoppe and many others.
In 2017, Sundberg, in partnership with the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, launched the Loads of Love (LOL) laundry program. The LOL program installs washers and dryers in schools that serve students who lack access to clean clothes. Studies have shown that offering laundry services in schools can help boost student attendance rates, class participation and grades. By the conclusion of the 2019-2020 school year, the Redskins Charitable Foundation will have provided more than $750,000 in funding to 91 local schools and non-profits for their own Loads of Love laundry centers.
On National Laundry Day earlier this year, Sundberg and his wife, Flor, matched donations from fans benefitting the Loads of Love program up to $25,000. The two were also present at the program kickoff in Richmond, Va. during Redskins Training Camp, helping to renovate and beautify a brand-new LOL laundry center space at George W. Carver Elementary School.
“I am deeply honored to receive a nomination for this award, and there is no greater achievement in my mind,” said Sundberg. “I am proud to be able to continue to help children across the DMV have access to clean clothes. Our goal is to remove the obstacles these children face on a daily basis. Thank you to the Redskins organization and the Redskins Charitable Foundation for their continued support and efforts to expand Loads of Love to help as many families as we can.”
Sundberg will wear customized cleats that support the Loads of Love program for the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative this year. The proceeds from the auction of his cleats will directly benefit Loads of Love.
“We are thrilled to announce Nick Sundberg as the Redskins nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year,” said Carlyle Neyazi, Executive Director of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation. “He remains committed to bettering our community and to the notion that having clean clothes should never be a barrier for student success. Nick continues to invest his time, energy and resources to help the Foundation grow the Loads of Love program and serve children who face these challenges every day.”
As a nominee, Sundberg will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field.
For the second year in a row, all 32 team winners will be highlighted as nominees and recognized for their important work during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl LIV.
The 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on Feb. 1, the eve of Super Bowl LIV, on FOX. NFL Honors will be at the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami.
All 32 nominees will receive a donation of up to $50,000 in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of their choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Nationwide’s 5th annual Charity Challenge, a social media campaign designed to support and promote team nominees. Fans can vote on Twitter by using #WPMOYChallenge followed by their favorite nominee’s last name. The player whose unique hashtag is used the most between Dec. 12 and Jan. 12 will receive a $25,000 contribution to their charity of choice, while the second and third place finishers will receive $10,000 and $5,000 donations, all courtesy of Nationwide. Hashtag information and official rules can be found at nfl.com/manoftheyear.
More information about the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award can be found at http://www.nfl.com/manoftheyear.
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