Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz made an impact on the field for the Cardinals and was impactful off the field both in Arizona and Philadelphia, where he began the season before the trade to make him a Cardinal.
He has been honored for that work and is up for the highest off-field honors awarded by the NFLPA.
It was announced Thursday that Ertz is one of five finalists for the 2022 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award.
The NFLPA Alan Page Community (APC) Award is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player. The award annually recognizes one player who goes above and beyond to perform community service in his team city and/or hometown. Each of the finalists will receive an additional $10,000 donation from the NFLPA for his foundation or charity of choice. As an award for the players and by the players, the winner will be determined this week through a league-wide electronic vote by their NFL peers.
He is a finalist with San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead, Buffalo Bills receiver Emannuel Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles safety Rodney McLeod and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end William Gholston.
Ertz was named the NFLPA Week 9 Community MVP. He served multiple communities across the country. Starting the season in Philadelphia, he and his Ertz Family Foundation broke ground on House of Hope, a project that will create a safe space for local youth and one made possible through fundraising efforts of more than one million dollars. Then, just days after being traded to the Cardinals, he launched the “Score More n’ Feed More” campaign with Athletes Corner that resulted in 145,000 meals being donated to Arizona food banks. In addition, he tackled food insecurity at the start of last year by contributing $200,000 for 600,000 meals to Philabundance and provided winter clothing for 600 kids and families in need.
The winner will be announced on Wednesday next week during Super Bowl Week at 2 p.m. Arizona time when the NFLPA holds its press conference. The winner — hopefully Ertz — will receive an additional $100,000 donation from the NFLPA for the charity or foundation of his choice.
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