On Thursday, the Patriots announced that veteran defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. was their team’s nominee for the 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year.
Each year, every team in the NFL nominates a player who shows a commitment to excellence both on and off the field - one who leads the way in community service efforts and tries to be a role model for fans to emulate.
This year, Wise receives the honor of being the Patriots nominee.
“I am honored to be nominated for such a prestigious award,” said Wise, as quoted in a press release from the team. “My father played at Jackson State, where Walter Payton’s legendary career began, so I have always felt a strong connection to the Jackson State family and their fan base. My father always told me that community service is the price you pay for your time here on earth.
“Our family has always been active in the community and eager to help others. I hope acts of kindness inspire more acts of kindness. That's really what we aim to achieve through our Wise Up Foundation, leaving this world better than we arrived to it by positively impacting the lives of others in hopes that they will do the same in order to make our communities and world stronger as a result.”
Each nominee receives up to $55,000, and the winner receives up to an additional $265,000 to donate to a charity of their choice. All 32 nominees will be recognized for their achievements throughout “Super Week” leading up to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, with the winner being announced during NFL Honors - a primetime awards special airing on FOX and NFL Network on February 6.
Starting in Week 14 and continuing through the end of the season, each team’s nominees will wear a “Man of the Year” helmet decal, both as a recognition for their efforts in the community and as a way to signify their nomination. Wise will first don the decal when his team returns from their bye week in Week 15 on the road in Arizona.
According to the Patriots’ press release, Wise has consistently been one of the most active players in the community, and has been a go-to player for the Patriots Foundation’s many initiatives. He was recognized for those efforts in 2022, when he received the Ron Burton Patriots Community Service Award, given annually to a player to recognize their many contributions to the community.
In addition to his contributions to the Patriots Foundation, Wise started his own nonprofit in only his second year in the league with the Wise Up Foundation in 2018. Operated by both him and his family, the mission of the Wise Up Foundation is to P.U.S.H.:
- Provide educational resources and opportunities
- Unite communities
- Support underserved student-athletes
- Honor America’s veterans
According to the team, these are some of the initiatives and events Wise and his foundation have spearheaded:
- The annual “Wise Up Foundation’s Block Party,” held this year at the Josh Kraft Mattapan Teen Center, offering activities and giveaways to the community that include haircuts, hair braiding, essential healthcare services and local farm-to-plate foods
- “Hot Meals for Vets,” a Christmas feast for veterans
- “Unsigned Senior Camp,” a camp for high school football players that have not received college scholarship offers
- “Big Man Camp,” an NFL Combine-like experience for high school offensive and defensive linemen
- Offering the “Winestar Program,” an initiative that assists underserved football players with access to recruitment camps through mentorship, education, resources and opportunities
- “Bridges 2 Trades” program, a pathway for Boston-area high school students to embark on a journey toward skilled trades careers by equipping them with industry insights, financial education and vital resources
- Annually co-hosts and financially supports the Patriots Foundation’s “Gifts from the Gridiron” event that spreads some holiday cheer for children living in homeless shelters who receive a shopping spree with Patriots players as their personal shoppers
Outside of his own foundation’s programs, Wise has consistently been a supporter of any of his teammates’ charitable endeavors, and frequently makes visits to local area hospitals and schools.
Wise has spent his entire career with the Patriots, being drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Arkansas. He’s a three-time captain, and won a Super Bowl with the team in 2018.
No member of the New England Patriots has ever won “Man of the Year,” and only two players with ties to the team at some point in their career were ever given the honor.
In 1994, Chargers linebacker Junior Seau won the prestigious honor. The late Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker finished his career in New England (2006-09).
In 2018, defensive end Chris Long won the award as a member of the Eagles. This came two years after his lone season in New England (2016), where Long was a key contributor to the pass rush that helped complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.
The last 10 Patriots to be nominated for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year:
2023 - Jonathan Jones
2022 - Lawrence Guy
2021 - Lawrence Guy
2020 - Devin McCourty
2019 - Kyle Van Noy
2018 - Devin McCourty
2017 - Nate Solder
2016 - Rob Gronkowski
2015 - Devin McCourty
2014 - Devin McCourty