Community MVP
When they’re not using their athletic powers on the field, NFL players are finding ways to serve as superheroes for their communities.
In recognition, each week during the regular season, the NFLPA #CommunityMVP program honors one player who has made a positive impact in his hometown or team city.
For being named Community MVP, the NFLPA will make a $10,000 donation to the player’s foundation or charity of choice so that they can continue to make a difference.
Congratulations to Rodney McLeod on being selected as the 2022 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award winner!
2021 WEEKLY WINNERS
Week 18
Pharaoh Brown
Houston Texans
Pharaoh Brown showed heart during the holidays, hosting a dinner for homeless youth and sex trafficking survivors while donating $4,000 and distributing gift cards.
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Week 17
Charles Leno Jr.
Washington
Charles “Leno Claus” contributed thousands of dollars in donations and in-kind gifts to five families in need and 20 different charities across Chicago, Oakland and Washington, D.C.
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Week 16
Mike Evans
Tampa Bay
Mike Evans created a memorable holiday experience for Tampa kids, hosting a holiday party & shopping spree while helping fund scholarships for six high school students to attend a Florida college.
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Week 15
Brandon McManus
Denver
Brandon McManus spread 25 days of holiday cheer, providing more than $50,000 to Denver families in need for animal shelters, shopping sprees, mortgage relief, gas gift cards and the fight against food insecurity.
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Week 14
Rodney McLeod
Philadelphia
Rodney McLeod put his best foot forward by raising $205,000 to update STEM and Black history curriculum at local schools while collecting 250 sneakers and 150 toys for underserved Philadelphia youth.
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Week 13
Will Gholston
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Will Gholston tackled food insecurity this holiday season by donating $59,800 so that 920 Tampa Bay families in need could receive a full Thanksgiving meal.
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Week 12
Darius Leonard
Indianapolis
Darius Leonard gave thanks to his team city and hometown, handing out 70 Thanksgiving meal kits to Indianapolis families experiencing homelessness and 100 more holiday dinners to households in need in Lake View, SC.
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Week 11
Lawrence Guy
New England
Lawrence Guy hosted a baby shower and lunch, where he distributed more than $40,000 in gifts and supplies to 20 local moms in need.
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Week 10
James Smith-Williams
Washington
James Smith-Williams brightened the holidays for children and families of domestic violence survivors by helping buy more than $3,000 in toys and books.
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Week 9
Zach Ertz
Arizona
Zach Ertz is making sure everybody eats – providing meals for Arizona food banks and breaking ground on his House of Hope project that will build a safe space for Philadelphia youth.
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Week 8
Chris Harris Jr.
Los Angeles Chargers
Chris Harris Jr. warmed the hearts of those experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles by distributing 500 bags of clothing and hygiene essentials for the colder months.
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Week 7
Brett Hundley
Indianapolis
Brett Hundley made sure 250 kids and families living with epilepsy had a scary good time in Las Vegas at The Hundley Foundation’s annual Halloween Spectacular.
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Week 6
Von Miller
Denver
Von Miller helped give the power of sight to 70 kids in Atlanta, blessing them with $35K in free eye exams, screenings and eyewear.
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Week 5
Jared Goff
Detroit
Jared Goff helped fuel 500 food insecure families in the Motor City by distributing more than 40,000 pounds of fresh food and supplies.
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Week 4
Arik Armstead
San Francisco
Behind his $250K investment, Arik Armstead is powering up Sacramento kids with the launch of Armstead Academy, an after-school enrichment program for K-12 students.
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Week 3
Emmanuel Sanders
Buffalo
Emmanuel Sanders swooped into his new team city of Buffalo by relaunching his foundation in support of kids from financially disadvantaged families with a personal $20K donation and visiting with the students at Harriet Ross Tubman School.
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Week 2
Adam Thielen
Minnesota
Adam Thielen and his wife Caitlin donated more than $100K to replace the stadium lights at Brooklyn Center High in Minneapolis, reviving Friday Night football and other sports for its students.
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Week 1
Justin Reid
Houston
Justin Reid came to the rescue for Louisiana, his home state, by raising $10,000 and filling two 18-wheeler trucks with goods to help those impacted by Hurricane Ida.
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The weekly Community MVP winners will also become eligible for the NFLPA Alan Page Community (APC) Award, which is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player.
Past Winners
2021- Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons
2020 - Brandon Copeland, New York Jets
2019 - Andrew Whitworth, Los Angeles Rams
2018 - Chris Long, Philadelphia Eagles
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
2012 – Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
2011 – Tony Richardson, New York Jets
2010 – Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland Raiders
2009 – Brian Dawkins, Philadelphia Eagles
2008 – Warrick Dunn, Atlanta Falcons
2007 – John Lynch, Denver Broncos
2006 – Steve McNair, Tennessee Titans
2005 – Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
2004 – Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Alan Page Community Award
Half Pro Football Hall of Famer, half Minnesota Supreme Court associate justice, Alan Page has always used his powers for good.
Possessing an endurance that was out of this world, the All-Pro defensive lineman played in 218 consecutive games for the Minnesota Vikings and became the first player to win the Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season.
Along the way, he was never afraid to fight for justice as an NFLPA player rep and member of the union’s Executive Committee.
Gridiron great by day and legal scholar by night, Page earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota while still playing in the NFL. After hanging up his cleats in 1981, he soared up the legal ladder and became the first African-American elected to the Minnesota Supreme Court, where he served until 2015.
Although he’s retired from football and the bench, Page is still fighting the good fight. Through The Page Education Foundation, which was founded by him and his late wife Diane, minority students are provided with financial and mentoring assistance in exchange for the students’ commitment to engage in community volunteer work.
Partners
The Robin to our Batman. The Timon to our Pumbaa.
The NFLPA Community MVP program would not be what it is without our sidekicks. These are our presenting partners:
Rules & Conditions
Each week during the regular season, the NFLPA will recognize one active NFL player who has demonstrated a commitment to making a positive impact in his community.
For being named Community MVP, each weekly honoree will:
- Receive a $10,000 donation from the NFLPA toward the player's foundation or charity of choice;
- Have a customized Community MVP T-shirt or hoodie made by our supporting partner ASA that will be sold on its website, with a portion of all proceeds going toward the player’s foundation or charity of choice;
- Become eligible for the annual Alan Page Community Award, which is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player.
Community MVPs will be selected by a committee of NFLPA staff. Community MVPs will be announced on Friday of each week in order to gain maximum promotional exposure. Each week’s runners-up will be recognized by name with a photo and description of their charity work on the following Tuesday in a social media post. 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:
- 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 Alan Page Community Award, each of whom will receive an additional $10,000. From those five finalists, the active player membership will vote for the APC Award winner, who will receive $100,000 for his foundation or charity of choice.