Walter Payton award finalists named
The Steelers’ Cam Heyward joins the list of 32 players chosen as finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.
Each of the teams nominated one player for the prestigious honor named for the late Payton, a Hall of Fame running back for the Bears. The award recognizes a player for community service and excellence on the field.
It has been given annually since 1970 and will be presented at “NFL Honors,” the TV show on Feb. 8, during which The Associated Press reveals its individual seasonal award winners.
All 32 nominees will receive a donation of up to $55,000 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 his choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide. Along with the other 31 nominees, Heyward 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.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott won the award last season.
Jaguars
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence has a high ankle sprain that could force him to miss the first game of his NFL career.
Coach Doug Pederson said that tests on Lawrence’s right ankle showed “everything’s stable, everything’s good.” He added that surgery “is not necessarily something that would be warranted at this time.”
“We’ll see where he’s at in a couple days,” Pederson said roughly 12 hours after a 34-31 overtime loss to Cincinnati.
Pederson said Lawrence’s injury “looked worse than it really was. Very fortunate there.” He declined to say if Lawrence has a realistic shot at playing Sunday at Cleveland.
Jets
New York waived Tim Boyle after two starts and signed Brett Rypien off the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad in the team’s latest shuffle at the quarterback position.