Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald has been named a finalist for yearly award
Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald has been named a finalist for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. He joins Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and Eli Manning of the New York Giants as a finalist.
The announcement was made at halftime of the Atlanta Falcons NFC Championship victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The winner will be announced at the NFL Honors ceremony the evening before the Super Bowl in Houston. The award goes to a player that has shown excellence on the field and off of it.
As good as Fitzgerald has been on the field in his 13-years in the NFL with the Cardinals, he has been an even better person off the field. It starts with his foundation that he created.
Fitz’s foundation, The Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund, has provided grants for K-12 students to help them learn to read and learn technology. It has also supported cancer survivors. His mother died of breast cancer.
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On the field, Fitz had himself quite a year. He finished with 107-receptions, which lead the NFL in 2016. He also had six touchdowns.
Fitz is yet to decide if he is going to return in 2017 to play. If he does he already indicated he would be finishing his career in Arizona. There had been speculation earlier in the season he would try to play somewhere else for a contender.
Arizona will still be a contender in 2017. Either way, the truth is Fitz has been great for the community.
As part of his fundraising efforts for his foundation, he holds Fitz’s Supper Club just prior to the regular season beginning. Last August was his seventh-annual effort.
Even if Fitz doesn’t win the award, both Olsen and Manning are also worthy recipients. Olsen also created his own foundation Receptions for Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation and another one with his wife Kara, The HEARTest yard.
Manning has worked with many charities throughout the New York tri-state area and in Mississippi where he went to school. The award show airs on Fox at 6:00 p.m. Arizona time on Saturday February 4th.