The NFL announced the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award nominees per all 32 clubs on Tuesday.
Linebacker Christian Kirksey was named the Texans’ nominee, and the ninth-year veteran shared what being nominated means.
“Truly, I have a lot of my teammates that go out in the community and do such a great job that in my opinion could be nominated as well,” Kirksey said. “I appreciate that the organization nominated me for it. I think that comes with being a football player. I know a lot of people see us on Sunday playing a game that we love, making plays, making tackles, touchdowns and all that stuff, but most importantly, it’s the people that are looking up to you.”
Kirksey elaborated that using the platform of pro football to give back to the Houston community sets a good example for youngsters that they can similarly impact their communities — and not need to be an NFL linebacker to do so.
Said Kirksey: “That you might be a kid’s role model. You’ve got to go out and help those that are in need. That’s our responsibility as football players. Not only just to play on Sunday, but to go out in our communities and be that hero for everybody. That’s my philosophy on what it means to be in the community and to actually be present there.”
Kirksey has collected 86 combined tackles, 2.0 sacks, six tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, an interception, a fumble recovery, and three pass breakups through all 12 of his starts in 2022.
