JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars have nominated OL Tyler Shatley for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide, the club announced today. Considered one of the league's most prestigious honors, the award recognizes the NFL player that best demonstrates outstanding community service and excellence on the field.
"It was an honor to recently share with our team that Tyler is the Jaguars' 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee," said Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson. "Without exception, everyone welcomed the news and was thrilled for Tyler and his family. Tyler is a terrific teammate and a man of high character and integrity, who long ago established himself as a leader in our building and in the Jacksonville community, so it is fitting that he be recognized for such a prestigious league honor."
Shatley joined the team in 2014 as an undrafted rookie and is now the longest-tenured Jaguar on the current roster, playing in his ninth season. In his spare time, he supports multiple nonprofits and their work, including teaming up with Feeding Northeast Florida to help combat food insecurity, making holiday toy donations to the children at Ronald McDonald House and spending time with patients at Wolfson Children's Hospital.
Sponsored By Grace and SeaMark Ranch are two nonprofits in which Shatley invests considerable time and resources. Both Northeast Florida organizations are dedicated to bringing hope and faith to children and families while meeting their physical needs and preparing them for a successful future. Shatley has represented these organizations for several years on his cleats, including this season, during the NFL's My Cause My Cleats campaign to bring awareness to their causes. For Halloween, he invited 50 kids from Sponsored by Grace to TIAA Bank Field to trick-or-treat in a fun and safe environment, which included a pizza party, Halloween festivities and a haunted house tour.
"Tyler is an outstanding man of faith, husband, and father of his children," said Ron Armstrong, founder and executive director of Sponsored by Grace. "Over the last two years, he has become an advocate for Sponsored by GRACE and Grounds of GRACE, whether that is through support programs or helping launch our first coffee shop. We would not be where we are today if not for Tyler and his generosity and partnership."
Along with his excellence in the community, Shatley has demonstrated consistent excellence on the field by displaying the versatility to play both guard and center throughout his career. He has appeared in 123 career games with Jacksonville since entering the league in 2014 and made 40 starts. His 123 games played for Jacksonville are the 11th-most in franchise history and the most by any player on the current Jaguars roster. This year, Shatley has played in 12 games and made seven starts.
As a nominee, Tyler 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.
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award was established in 1970. It was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton. Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community.
All 32 team winners will be highlighted as nominees and recognized for their important work during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl LVII. The 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air the Thursday before Super Bowl LVII, on NBC. The winner of the award each year receives a $250,000 donated to the winner's charity of choice. All other 31 nominees receive up to $40,000 donated to their charity of choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Nationwide's 8th 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 or Twitter handle. The player whose unique mention is used the most between Dec. 6 and Jan. 8 will receive a $25,000 contribution to his 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.
