JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Dawuane Smoot has been selected as the team’s nominee for the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
The award recognizes the NFL player who best demonstrates outstanding community service and excellence on the field. Representing the best of the NFL’s commitment to philanthropy and community impact, 32 players are selected as their team’s Man of the Year and become eligible to win the national award.
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Past WPMOTY nominees for Jaguars include Calais Campbell, who won the award in 2019.
Since joining the Jaguars in 2017, Smoot has worked with local organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida, Better Dads Society, and the Jacksonville Arts and Music School. He also participates in food distributions with local food banks and the annual “Shop with a Jaguar,” providing children from underserved areas of Jacksonville with a holiday shopping spree.
Earlier this year, Smoot and his family brought awareness to Action News Jax’s Tenikka Hughes’ annual “Tenikka’s Books for Kids” book drive. The books collected are given to kids who meet their reading goals during the Jacksonville Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. The books come at no cost to the children or their families.
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Smoot and his wife, Aumari, also recently opened a school called The Elsie Academy, which is “a bilingual early-learning center in Jacksonville that offers a curriculum centered around Biblical principles, individualized academic attention and offers a nurturing environment that promotes excellence,” according to a news release from the Jaguars.
Of his on the field stats, the Jaguars said “His 90+ games played are the most by a defensive player drafted by the Jaguars on the active roster. Since Smoot was drafted in 2017, he has posted 123 total tackles, 62 quarterback hits, 23.5 sacks, five passes defensed and five forced fumbles. His 23.5 sacks are the ninth-most sacks recorded by a Jaguar in team history.”
“It is well known that Dawuane is a terrific football player and a key piece of our defense, but his work off the field and in the community will impact local children for years to come. Our entire team is proud to support Dawuane as our Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for 2023,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said in the release.
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Smoot will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field.
The 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air the Thursday before Super Bowl LVIII, on CBS. The winner of the award each year receives $250,000 donated to the winner’s charity of choice. All other 31 nominees receive up to $55,000 donated to their charity of choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Nationwide’s 8th annual Charity Challenge, a social media campaign to support and promote team nominees. Fans can vote on Twitter by using #WPMOYChallenge followed by their favorite nominee’s last name or Twitter handle. The player whose unique mention is used the most between Dec. 5 and Jan. 8 will receive a $35,000 contribution to his charity of choice, while the second and third-place finishers will receive $10,000 and $5,000 donations, all courtesy of Nationwide.
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