There aren’t many NFL players doing more for their community than 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who was nominated for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for a third consecutive season.
The WPMOY is an award given to players who exhibit excellence both on and off the field.
While Armstead has dealt with foot and ankle injuries that have limited him to just four games this season, his impact was apparent in the team’s 33-17 win over the Dolphins in Week 13 when he helped create havoc in the middle of the defensive line that caused QB Tua Tagovailoa to have his worst outing of the year. Last season Armstead played the best football of his career down the stretch and picked up 3.0 sacks in the final two weeks to help the 49ers secure a playoff spot.
While Armstead has been a force on the field for San Francisco, it’s the impact he consistently has off the field that’s made him the 49ers’ WPMOY nominee in each of the last three seasons.
His foundation, the Armstead Academic Project, is committed to social justice and equity in youth education. Via a release from the NFL:
Approving an annual operating budget of $700K, Arik recently hired a full-time Executive Director to ensure his nonprofit’s sustainable impact. With his time, Arik met with politicians and media outlets, advocating for statewide legislation for additional funding to support 80,000 unfunded Black children in California. Arik efforts aided in securing a commitment from Governor Newsom to increase resources and services in 2023 for the lowest performing students, particularly to address the needs of Black students. As an advocate, Arik joined Bay Area philanthropy panels as a keynote speaker to inspire others to close gaps of inequity in their communities.
31 of the 32 nominees are awarded $40,000 to the charity of their choice, while the winner of the award gets $250,000 to a charity of their choice.
