Brandon Graham is the Eagles' 2024 nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, the team revealed Thursday morning.
It's the second time in three years the veteran pass rusher has been nominated for the award after also receiving the honor in 2022. The award acknowledges a player's success within the game, but more importantly, their commitment to the community outside of it.
A 15-year Eagle, Pro Bowler, and Super Bowl champion, Graham has done just about everything a player in Philadelphia can do on the field, but off of it, he's pushed to have just as great an impact.
His Team Graham Fund goes toward helping various causes in his native Detroit, while back here in Philadelphia, he's been at the forefront of many of the Eagles' charity initiatives, like the Eagles Autism Foundation.
Graham also joined the board of directors for Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education, a foundation founded by the late Flyers owner to serve the city's youth through the sport. Graham even had special Snider Hockey cleats ready to wear for the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative before his season-ending triceps tear sidelined him.
Still, he had another custom set of Snider shoes done up, and promised to stick around with the team and help out in any way he could for as far as this current Eagles season goes.
"He's probably the best leader I've been around, just, not only in how he plays but how he mentors the young guys on and off the field," said longtime teammate Lane Johnson after word broke of Graham's injury. "He's kind of like a father figure to all these guys, and the guy that I think his story just screams perseverance and resiliency, just with everything he's overcome."
"For me, just to able to help the city, because I know how much they look up to the team, you just want to make sure that you're going about things the right way," Graham said via the Eagles' website. "I feel like we always had good people on this team to help remind you that it's not just about me. That's what makes it so much greater. When you're in this big position, you still think about the people that are trying to make their way too."
And that's stuck for Graham, be it within the Eagles' locker room or anywhere he goes outside of it.
The moment @brandongraham55 found out he was our Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee 🥹
Congrats BG!@nationwide | #WPMOYChallenge pic.twitter.com/ojfCDheuSH— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 5, 2024
MORE: Nick Sirianni's turnaround, other Eagles thoughts
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
