San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould is among the 32 players nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. The award is given out each year honoring an NFL player's volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field.
Each team nominates a player for the award, and the 32 nominees will be pared down to three finalists, who will be announced in January. The winner will be announced at the NFL Honors awards presentation before the Super Bowl.
Anquan Boldin is the only 49ers player to win the award. He did so in 2015 after his final season in San Francisco. Punter Bradley Pinion was last year's 49ers nominee. J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans was awarded the honor.
"I think it's important to give back to the community because the game of football, and really life in general, has given me a lot," Gould said via NFL.com in a video that appears to be produced by 49ers Studios. "I was raised in a family that giving back and a community that comes together and helps each other out was very important.
"Then I was raised in a locker room. And in a locker room, you have each other's back. You help each other. You lean on each other when times are tough, or maybe you're not playing as well as you should.
"Service and giving back in the community no matter what team I've been on or what area I'm from or I live in at the time is something that will always be and has been important to me."
The winner of the award will receive a $500,000 donation in his name that will be spread evenly across a charity of his choice and Character Playbook courtesy of the NFL Foundation, Nationwide and United Way Worldwide. All other 31 nominees will receive a $50,000 donation in their names to Character Playbook and up to $50,000 donated to their charity of choice.
"The 49ers platform is very progressive," Gould continued. "They believe in taking a lead in a lot of different actions and different approaches. As a player, it makes it easy to go to events knowing that you're making a difference, but also the impact that you have being there, talking to people, bringing your family to events. The platform that's been built here is one of the most unique I've ever been a part of."
Fans can also use the hashtag #WPMOYChallenge and their favorite nominee's last name on social media. The nominee who receives the most mentions will win an additional $25,000 donation from Nationwide to the charity of his choice with the runner-up receiving $10,000 and the third-place winner receiving $5,000 donations.
The 49ers signed Gould to a two-year deal on March 9, 2017. He is scheduled to become a free agent in March.
Below is a list of the other 31 nominees across the NFL.
- Arizona: S Antoine Bethea
- Atlanta: DT Grady Jarrett
- Baltimore: CB Brandon Carr
- Buffalo: LB Lorenzo Alexander
- Carolina: DE Julius Peppers
- Chicago: TE Trey Burton
- Cincinnati: DE Carlos Dunlap
- Cleveland: LB Christian Kirksey
- Dallas: QB Dak Prescott
- Denver: LB Von Miller
- Detroit: QB Matthew Stafford
- Green Bay: DT Kenny Clark
- Houston: LB Whitney Mercilus
- Indianapolis: DE Jabaal Sheard
- Jacksonville: QB Blake Bortles
- Kansas City: P Dustin Colquitt
- Los Angeles Chargers: DT Corey Liuget
- Los Angeles Rams: T Andrew Whitworth
- Miami: WR Kenny Stills
- Minnesota: TE Kyle Rudolph
- New England: DB Devin McCourty
- New Orleans: RB Mark Ingram II
- New York Giants: S Michael Thomas
- New York Jets: OL Kelvin Beachum
- Oakland: RB Marshawn Lynch
- Philadelphia: DE Chris Long
- Pittsburgh: DT Cameron Heyward
- Seattle: LB K.J. Wright
- Tampa Bay: DT Gerald McCoy
- Tennessee: DT Jurrell Casey
- Washington: TE Vernon Davis