NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hours after he won the 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award at the league’s honors ceremony, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead was in the New Orleans community with his fellow nominees, hoping to inspire the next generation.
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Community Day at Rosenwald Recreation Center provided 22 of the 32 nominees the opportunity to interact with children of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Louisiana.
“To all the youth here, you guys are our future, you guys are our next generation,” Armstead said at a brief ceremony before activities began. “It’s our responsibility to help you achieve your goals and what you set out in life to do, don’t let anybody tell you what you cannot do. As long as you work hard, make sacrifices, anything is possible that you want to achieve.
“You have people who love and support you and want you to be successful regardless of what people may try to tell you in society.”
Also in attendance was NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Walter Payton’s daughter Brittney Payton and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana Angel Nelson who said, “To our students, I encourage you to draw inspiration from today’s activities and see yourselves as future leaders capable of making a meaningful impact through kindness, generosity and community involvement.”
Armstead was joined by fellow NFL players such as Bobby Wagner, Deatrich Wise and Kyren Williams along with four-time Pro Bowlers Jared Goff and Dion Dawkins.
The players were placed into groups of four to six and traveled around to various stations. Route running, pass catching and relay races occurred outside, while vision board creation, helmet painting and personal mentorship opportunities took place inside.
“What I mostly get from this event is the chance to spread inspiration and knowledge,” Wise said. “Today we designed helmets and we were all in a creative state, drawing helmets, painting helmets and all the kids talking to me, asking me questions about life, football.
“Anything that I have to give to them is the motive.”
New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan received his third nomination for the award and was there when the Boys and Girls club opened the outdoor pool. “I’ve seen real progress in New Orleans and this specific Boys and Girls Club so I love it,” Jordan said.
Jordan said he spends his Tuesdays – normally an off-day in the NFL – in the New Orleans community and said, “what you’re not seeing is how many other players are doing real work as well so it’s phenomenal that the NFL supports this.”
“What I want to do is give to the world and that’s the whole point of being here,” Jordan said. “If you’re looking for something in return, you’re in the wrong place. I’m going to take their energy because we see these kids, they’re bouncing around and even when they come in and they’re like ‘I don’t know if I feel like doing this,’ by the end they’re all in and that’s what I am, too, I’m all in.”
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Tyler Millen is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
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Tyler Millen, The Associated Press
