The San Francisco 49ers announced DL Arik Armstead as their 2022 nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award presented by Nationwide, marking his third consecutive nomination. Considered one of the NFL’s most prestigious awards, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field.
Armstead has earned the unprecedented distinction of being the 49ers Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee for a third year in recognition of his unrivaled accomplishments on the field and in the community. This year, Armstead’s significant community investments through his time and donations were even grander than his 6’7″ stature. Centered on social justice, he cemented his commitment to youth education equity through his foundation, the Armstead Academic Project (AAP), established in 2019.
Believing that literacy and guidance are integral to success, Armstead grew his Storytime with Arik Armstead program, reading to nearly 200 students in seven classrooms. In addition to mentoring students at a juvenile detention facility, Armstead provided enrichment experiences for underserved youth including funding college tours for 100 students, purchasing 100 tickets for kids to attend 49ers games, and providing reading glasses for 225 students.
Since 2015, Armstead has directly impacted over 6,000 youth, and countless others through community-wide events. Some of his past highlights include reading to nearly 3,000 students in over 30 classrooms to encourage them to reach grade-level literacy standards through the Storytime with Arik Armstead program, sponsoring and hosting over 2,250 students for youth football camps and college field trips, donating over $500,000 of $2M committed to support Sacramento youth, and purchasing, wrapping, and delivering over $20,000 in holiday gifts to UC Davis Hospital pediatric patients for six consecutive years.
“I consider my career as what I do on the field and off the field. I think they both go hand in hand. I know a lot of guys do a lot of amazing things in the community, so to be a part of that and be honored with them is a huge experience for me and I don’t take it lightly,” said Armstead of his nomination. “It’s going to allow us to do more work and serve more people.”
Throughout his eight-year career (2015-22), Armstead has appeared in 98 games (80 starts) and registered 269 tackles, 28.5 sacks,…
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