The NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award is a very big honor that is bestowed on NFL players. Usually awarded to players whose charitable and philanthropic contributions have a direct and profound impact on their communities. Russell Wilson, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, won this award in 2020, for his work alongside his charitable organization. However, it seems his charity has not done much.
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The USA TODAY Network launched an investigation into non-profits started by previous Payton award winners, including Wilson’s ‘Why Not You’ foundation. The results do not put Mr. Unlimited in a good spot. According to Jason Wolf, Wilson’s charity spends more on its salaries, than it does on its charitable work.
This includes the charitable drive headed by $165 million worth Wilson to donate to the Seattle Children’s Hospital. While Wilson donated a whopping $2.6 million, his charity only made a contribution of $78,000. As of now, the charity has only given the hospital $836,000 in total.
The foundation’s Chief Financial Officer, Scott Pickett, says, “Millions of dollars in funds raised by the Why Not You Foundation go through our partners who can deliver that money where it is needed more directly. Those funds were raised, in large part, through the work of the foundation, but you would not see all of those dollars in the foundation’s tax documents.”
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Russell Wilson faces yet another problem post his abysmally bad season
The findings of this investigation do not put ‘Why Not You’, and by extension Russell Wilson, in a good light. This is definitely not something Wilson would’ve wanted on his plate right now. His move from Seattle to Denver was supposed to be a fruitful one for him and the Broncos. However, this past year, he has only proven to be an expensive mistake.
Although, there is some hope for a possible redemption arc. The Broncos have bagged Sean Payton as their newest head coach. This means Wilson can expect some sharp changes in the building, which he cannot leave unnoticed. Especially when his personal entourage of coaches and trainers are no longer standing with him.
Payton is a no-nonsense man, and he will hold Wilson accountable the same as he will everyone else. However, whether that will actually help Wilson get better is still a question that remains unanswered. No one knows if Payton will push Wilson to a breaking point and if Wilson himself will eventually decide he’s not good enough to play anymore. Any way it goes, it’ll be interesting to see how Wilson deals with all this.
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