During the NFL Honors show on Thursday night, Dak Prescott was announced as the winner of this year’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
The award is meant to honor one NFL player each year for their activities both on and off the field each season. While many know Prescott for his play with the Dallas Cowboys, he is also an advocate for mental health and cancer awareness.
In 2013, Prescott lost his mother to cancer while he was playing at Mississippi State. Prescott specifically paid respect to his mother during his acceptance speech for the award.
“I want to acknowledge the person who’s had the biggest influence on my life — my mother, Peggy,” Prescott said, as reported by Fox 4 News. “My mother was and still is my moral compass.”
After losing his brother to suicide in 2020, Prescott grew the mission of his foundation to include mental health awareness. Additionally, he has worked to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the communities they serve, per The Dallas Cowboys.
Prescott is the fourth Dallas Cowboys player to win the award since it was introduced. He joins Roger Staubach in 1978, Troy Aikman in 1997, and Jason Witten in 2012 as Cowboys who have won this prestigious award.
As the winner of this year’s award, Prescott will be able to donate $250,000 to the charity of his choice. The other 31 nominees, one from each NFL team, will be awarded $40,000 to donate as well, per the NFL. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.
During the NFL’s regular season, Prescott missed five games due to a broken thumb he suffered during their first game. Once he returned, Prescott helped the Cowboys to a 12-5 regular season record and drove one of the most prolific offenses in the league. Throughout the 12 games he played, Prescott accumulated 2,860 yards and 23 passing touchdowns.
Once the Cowboys made the playoffs, Prescott helped guide them to their first road playoff win in 30 years, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14 in Tom Brady’s final NFL game.