Broncos nominate ILB Alex Singleton for 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award

Dec 05, 2024 at 07:00 AM

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – The Denver Broncos have selected inside linebacker Alex Singleton as the team's nominee for the 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, it was announced Thursday.

Considered the NFL's most prestigious honor, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award recognizes a player for his outstanding leadership both on the field and in the community. All 32 teams select one nominee who is recognized during the week leading up to Super Bowl LIX, and the national winner will be announced during NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb. 6 (FOX & NFL Network).

A sixth-year veteran from Montana State, Singleton has appeared in 79 regular-season games (50 starts) during his career (Philadelphia (2019-21), Denver (2022-24). Prior to the NFL, Singleton was drafted sixth overall in the 2016 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders.

Since joining the club in 2022, Singleton has appeared in 37 games (31 starts), and has recorded 371 tackles (224 solo), 2.0 sacks, eight passes defensed, one interception (21 yds.) and one forced fumble. He was named a captain in 2024 and was the team's leading tackler until tearing his ACL in Denver's Week 3 contest at Tampa Bay. Singleton played all 57 defensive snaps in the game despite the injury.

Since adolescence, Singleton has been heavily involved with Special Olympic supporting thousands of athletes. Singleton's older sister, Ashley, has been a Special Olympics athlete for more than 20 years, inspiring him to become an advocate for the organization.

Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Singleton serves as a local and national ambassador for the organization and uses his platform to amplify their work year-round.

Throughout his entire NFL career, Singleton has supported Special Olympics through meaningful and impactful outreach. He has:

Volunteered at Special Olympics Winter Games (Yukon, Canada)
Raised money through his Tackling Inclusion initiative,
Co-hosted virtual workouts with his sister during the COVID-19 pandemic,
Polar Plunged to raise money for Special Olympics Colorado
Presented at school-wide "inclusion assemblies," and
Attended weekly events supporting various sports in Colorado.

Launched in February 2024, Singleton is featured in Special Olympics' School of Strength: Snack Zone video series – a national video nutrition campaign for Special Olympics athletes, led by Special Olympics athletes. The campaign targets athletes in their late teens and 20s to learn more about the nutritional benefits of choosing healthier snacks and how healthy snacks can fuel them to feel stronger on the playing field. The campaign is the first of its kind in the over 50-year history of Special Olympics.

Previous Broncos nominees for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award include tackle Garett Bolles (2023), guard Dalton Risner (2022), safety Justin Simmons (2019-21), outside linebacker Von Miller (2018) and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (2017). John Elway (1992) is the only Broncos nominee to win the national award, which was first given in 1970 and renamed after the Chicago Bears' Pro Football Hall of Fame running back in 1999.

ABOUT THE WALTER PAYTON NFL MAN OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE

Each team's Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee will wear a helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field. All current players who have won the national award will wear a Man of the Year patch on their jerseys in perpetuity.

Each nominee will receive up to a $55,000 donation to the charity of his choice while the national winner will receive a $250,000 donation to his chosen cause with all donations made possible by the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.

Fans are once again encouraged to participate in Nationwide's annual Charity Challenge, a social media and online contest that allows fans to show support for their favorite Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee. Fans can vote on X (formerly Twitter) by posting #WPMOYChallenge along with the last name/X handle of their chosen nominee or by voting directly on NFL.com/ManOfTheYear.

The nominee who receives the most collective hashtag mentions and votes will win an additional $35,000 donation from Nationwide to the charity of their choice, with the runner-up receiving $10,000 and the third-place winner receiving $5,000. Charity Challenge voting takes place from Thursday, Dec. 5, to Monday, Jan. 6.

More information about the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award and Charity Challenge can be found at NFL.com/manoftheyear.

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Alex Singleton receives the Broncos' Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award during a surprise ceremony with his sister, his mother, his fiancee and Special Olympics Colorado athletes and staff at Special Olympics Colorado's offices in Centennial, Colorado on November 25, 2024. Photo by Ben Swanson / Denver Broncos

Ben Swanson/2024 Denver Broncos