Jared Goff was wrapping up his weekly interview with radio voice of the Lions Dan Miller Monday in Allen Park when Miller handed him an iPad and told him to press play. What followed was a video of four Detroit-area students telling Goff he is the Lions nominee for the NFL's 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
By the end of the video, Goff was wiping tears from his eyes.
"It was pretty emotional," the Lions quarterback said Tuesday on 97.1 The Ticket. "Those kids mean a lot to me and I’m happy to be able to help them. They were incredibly important in this whole thing."
The four students have collaborated with Goff this year to design and sell JG16-branded clothing that helps fund college scholarships for students in Detroit. Goff matches 100 percent of the profits to support the local non-profit Give Merit’s FATE Program, which awards scholarships to 175 Detroit youth working on real-life business projects.
Since arriving in Detroit last year, Goff has also identified areas of need at Detroit Lions Academy, a middle school that provides over-age students a path to graduation. This year, he established the JG16 STEAM Lab to help students cultivate critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills.
He won the 2021 Week 5 NFL Players Association Community MVP Award for hosting a mobile food pantry at Ford Field for over 500 Detroit-area families in need, which earned him a $10,000 award that he reinvested in upgrades to the STEAM Lab.
The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. The winner will be announced the week of the Super Bowl.
"It’s a cool honor and it’s my first time getting it, so I’ll enjoy this ride with it and hopefully can continue to do some good things in the community," Goff said. "But ultimately, it’s about those kids that we’ve been able to help over the last few years, and specifically here in Detroit."
Goff would be the first Lion to win the award, which was established in 1969.
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