Kevin Byard Named As Titans' Nominee For Walter Payton MOTY Award

The Tennessee Titans announced defensive captain and star free safety Kevin Byard as their nominee for the 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award on Thursday.

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, named in honor of late Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, is rewarded annually to the player who exemplifies "outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on it," according to NFL.com.

On Thursday, all 32 nominees were announced by the franchises their respective franchises, with Byard representing Tennessee. The Titans listed the following endeavors in a press release announcing their selection of Byard:

• Byard and his wife, Clarke, established the Byard Family Legacy Fund (BFLF) to provide grate to anyone who needs it.
• Assisted the Titans with clean-up in North Nashville following deadly tornadoes in March.
• Continued community work virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic which included serving as a member of the team's player-led social justice committee hosting Zoom meetings each week with youth and their parents from the YWCA's Amend program.
• Partnered with local Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research for the "31 Tackle Challenge."
• Hosts four signature events/programs annually, including free youth football camps, Thanksgiving delivery and distribution, a Christmas event, and the signature Grace Grant distribution through BFLF.
• Teamed with Academy Sports + Outdoors to provide new shoes and coats for children from the Boys & Girls Club in Smyrna, Tennessee in September 2019.
• Previously served as the spokesperson for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.

"It really is a blessing to be a blessing. When you give back, to see the faces of parents that I know are having a tough year, or are struggling, just to see them smile, it means a lot," Byard said of his work in the community via TennesseeTitans.com. "And to give them some hope, give them something to give to their children at Christmas, those feelings you get from that mean more to me than anything I do on the football field. It's something you never forget."

As a nominee, Byard will now wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal for the remainder of the 2020 NFL season. The winner of the 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award will be announced during the NFL Honors ceremony, which will air live on CBS during the week of Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.

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