Using their ultra-super powers for good, NFL players around the league have dedicated their lives to protecting their communities and saving the world. When they’re not scoring touchdowns or tackling for loss, NFL players are finding ways to serve their hometowns and team cities – even during the season when time off the field is very limited. Because of this, each week during the regular season, the NFLPA #CommunityMVP program recognizes one player who has demonstrated a commitment to making a positive impact in his community. The weekly Community MVP winners will also become eligible for the annual Byron “Whizzer” White (BWW) Award, which is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player.
NOMINATE PLAYER2017 WEEKLY WINNERS
Week 0
With the whole city on his back JJ Watt, among several others, raised over $33 million in disaster relief funds for Houston after Hurricane Harvey.
JJ Watt
Houston Texans
Week 1
Not all heroes wear capes. Colin Kaepernick continues to give back to his community with his $100,000 donation to four charities – totaling $900,000 in donations this year.
Colin Kaepernick
Free Agent
Past Award Winners
2017 - Malcolm Jenkins, Philadelphia Eagles
2016 - Thomas Davis, Carolina Panthers
2015 - Chad Greenway, Minnesota Vikings
2014 - Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers
2013 - Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh Steelers
FULL WINNER LIST
BYRON WHIZZER WHITE
THE STORY OF WHIZZER
Half Supreme Court associate justice, half NFL halfback, Byron Raymond White always used his powers for good.
After graduating as his high school's valedictorian, White became student body president and starting halfback for the University of Colorado, where he was gifted with his famous nickname by a newspaper columnist. From this point on, he would be known as Byron “Whizzer” White, a nod to his remarkable speed on the field. Awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, Whizzer deferred and began his journey as an NFL halfback, where he led the league in rushing and was the highest-paid player as a 21-year-old rookie in 1938. He continued his NFL career, half Yale Law student and half Detroit Lion for three years.
Even though he was one of the first “big money” players, Whizzer joined the U.S. Navy in 1942, where he wrote intelligence reports for future President John F. Kennedy. Discharged as a lieutenant commander with two Bronze Star medals, Whizzer practiced law for 15 years before his Supreme Court appointment in 1962. As half-man, half-amazing, Byron “Whizzer” White always fought for what was right, and always gave 100 percent of himself to his craft, his community and justice.
PARTNERS
YOUR SIDEKICKS
The Robin to your Batman. The Pumbaa to your Timon. You couldn't do the great work you do in your community without a supporting cast. These are your presenting partners.
RULES & CONDITIONS
NFLPA Community MVPs will be selected by a committee of NFLPA staff. Community MVPs will be announced on Friday of each week. The NFLPA will make a $10,000 donation to the player’s foundation or charity of choice and provide two Delta Private Jets roundtrip plane tickets to the player for being named the NFLPA Community MVP. Each week’s runner-ups will be recognized by name and with a photo and description of their charity work on the following Monday in a social media post as part of a related campaign called #CommunityMVP Mondays. Once a player has been named Community MVP, he is not eligible to win again during the same season.Players will vary by positions and by NFL teams.
Players must meet the following criteria to be considered for Community MVP: Player must be a dues-paying member of the NFLPA and either currently on a team or actively seeking employment. Charitable/community initiative is organized and led by an individual player and/or his foundation (not an NFL team or sponsor-led initiative). Player should be active with a specific cause or through his foundation. The community/charitable initiative should have taken place within the one-week period (Thursday of the preceding week to Wednesday of the current week) before the Community MVP is announced. Player should have participated in recent community work or held other recent events. From the pool of weekly Community MVPs, a distinguished panel of judges will choose five finalists for the BWW Award, each of whom will receive an additional $10,000. From those five finalists, the active player membership will vote for the BWW Award winner, who will receive $100,000 for his foundation or charity of choice.