Each year, the NFL presents the Walter Payton Man of The Year award as a recognition to an NFL star who has made a substantial impact on and off the field. Every team selects one nominee, and this year, the Kansas City Chiefs have chosen Travis Kelce. Naturally, the star tight end is delighted with the honor. However, he clarified that his philanthropy has never been for an award.
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In an interview with veteran NFL journalist Darren Smith, Travis first expressed gratitude for being recognized as a nominee for the league’s highest honor in the Operation Breakthrough category.
At the same time, he also shattered the misconception that nominations like this are a PR stunt. The Chiefs TE clarified that the philanthropy for which he was nominated was solely to give back to Kansas City, whose people have given him their all.
“I think there’s a lot of honour in that, knowing the history the Kansas City has had with the players, getting back in the community and being recognized for that. But I, politely don’t do it for the award. I do it for the smiles.”
After Sunday’s win I got a chance to speak to my friend @tkelce, Travis Kelce about being nominated for the league’s highest honor- NFL Man of the Year (Walter Payton Award) for Operation Breakthrough and what it means to him. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/RsmEv4Lhms
— Darren Smith (@DarrenSmithNFL) December 9, 2024
While Travis Kelce’s exploits on the field last year need no recap, it’s his off-field charity work that helped him leapfrog his teammates to become the Chiefs’ representative. The Chiefs TE, through his 87 & Running Foundation, converted a vacant muffler shop into a local incubator [called the Ignition Lab] to help young aspiring entrepreneurs from Kansas.
The Ignition Lab saw its inaugural class of students graduate high school after being equipped with practical experience, vocational skills, and internships, and more.
What differentiates Ignition Lab from other incubators is the auxiliary support its members get. For instance, every student of Ignition Lab has to take a mandatory Financial Literary Course.
As per reports, Kelce’s philanthropy efforts led to more than 25,000 hours of mentorship being conducted for its members. Travis has also been actively involved in the efforts by using his connections to attract more corporates to Ignition Lab. The Lab then uses the connection to provide internships to their students.
While usual philanthropy efforts focus on relief and donations, Travis’ efforts in empowering the youth of Kansas to be entrepreneurs are truly uplifting. That said, it’s hard to use this as an argument to confirm Travis Kelce as the winner.
Cardinals TE Trey McBride is someone who has the potential to usurp Kelce’s chances. Trey, over the last 12 months, has been instrumental in helping women’s flag football grow. Like Kelce, he has also made fruitful efforts to promote STEM literacy in local schools.
Considering the other notable nominees as well, it’s hard to pin Travis as the favorite. Regardless of who the winner is, the real winners are the ones who benefitted from our NFL stars’ philanthropy efforts. In the end, that’s all that matters.
