Pat McAfee is Walter Payton Man of the Year Nominee

On Tuesday, the NFL announced their 32 nominees for their Walter Payton “Man of the Year” Award. For the Indianapolis Colts, their punter Pat McAfee has received the team’s nomination. The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is the only league award that recognizes a player’s off-the-field community service, as well as his playing excellence.

It’s hard to think of a better choice than Pat McAfee with his strong community involvement and being arguably the best punter in the NFL. McAfee already runs “The Pat McAfee Foundation“, which as a non-profit organization that provides scholarship assistance to the sons and daughters of US Military Personnel. He’s also run prior charitable events, such as the “Red, White, and Boomstick Cocktail Party“, to help raise money for military scholarships:

"“I wanted to do it to raise money so I can give more scholarships to kids.McAfee recalls why he has taken such a stance towards the military with his foundation.“My older brother’s best friend went to Iraq to serve and he was kind of like an older brother to me. He got discharged after an IED blew up on him and that’s when it clicked to me that I could have lost a guy that I loved because he was willing to sacrifice his all for our country,” McAfee says.“After I got to college, I got the chance to meet a couple of wounded vets and chit chat with them. When I got here, I got a chance to interact with wounded vets and Wish for Our Heroes. I got a chance to go to Camp Atterbury and it all culminated to me just coming to this full revelation that they are the absolute heroes of our country. They are so much tougher and more heroic than I could ever be. I’ve wanted to dedicate something special to them and their families.”"

It’s clear that McAfee has an affinity for helping the families of military personnel, which has made a difference in the lives of many.

He also happens to be a very special player on special teams, as McAfee is third in the league in average punt at 47.2 yards per punt and 2nd in NET punt at 43.7 yards per punt.

Putting the two together, and it’s easy to see why Pat McAfee was the Indianapolis Colts nomination in 2014.