Peyton Manning's legacy goes far beyond the painted lines on the football field, and this year, he's being recognized for it.
Manning has been named the winner of the 2015 Bart Starr Award, given annually to a player who exemplifies character and leadership on and off the field. It is one of two annual NFL awards whose recipient is chosen by players at the end of the regular season.
Manning will accept the award in person during a Super Bowl breakfast in Glendale the weekend of Super Bowl XLIX. Athletes in Action, the group sanctioned by the NFL to run the award, said this of Manning in a release.
Since the day he was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, Manning has demonstrated admirable resolve to invest in every community he and his wife, Ashley, have lived in. The PeyBack Foundation has provided more than $10 million of impact to at risk youth in Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana and Tennessee through its grants and programs since its inception in 1999. In addition to funding life-enhancing initiatives, Peyton gives his time, leadership and presence to a broad range of worthy causes including the St. Vincent's Children's Hospital (Indianapolis), which in 2007 was renamed the "Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent." Manning serves as a member of the American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet and the Pat Summitt Foundation. He also started the Peyton Manning Scholarship program at Tennessee that has honored 20 incoming college students in the last 16 years on the basis of academic achievement, leadership and community service.
Benjamin Watson (New Orleans Saints) and Justin Tuck (Oakland Raiders) were finalists for the award.
Congratulations, Peyton, on a well-deserved honor!