The Denver Broncos selected cornerback Domonique Foxworth as their 2007 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award recipient, it was announced Friday. This award historically recognizes a player for outstanding leadership both on the field and in the community.
Foxworth's name will be submitted to the NFL as the Broncos' nominee for the national Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, which is announced annually at the Super Bowl. Foxworth was selected by a committee of metro area business and community leaders from a nomination pool that included cornerback Champ Bailey, quarterback Jay Cutler and safety John Lynch, who also have made notable contributions to the community.
Foxworth has devoted the past year to advancing the work of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, specifically raising money for the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center and teaching a weekly writing class to the inaugural members of the new teen center. He also has been heavily involved in College in Colorado, participating in many campaigns to get children focused on college after high school.
In his third season from the University of Maryland, Foxworth was recognized during a team meeting on Friday along with the club's other Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees. The Broncos will award $10,000 to a charitable cause of his choice.
The selection committee brought together a unique and diverse group of leaders in the Denver community. Included were Michael Hancock, president of City Council in Denver; Joy Burns of Burns Realty; Doug Morton and wife Marilyn Brown of Morton Publishing; Ed Dwight, world renowned sculptor; Jim Bershof of OZ Architecture; Jamie Van Leeuwen, project manager for Denver's Road Home; Pam Leder of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver program committee; Scott Binder, CEO, Comcast Colorado; and Hassan Salem, president, US Bank Denver.
Bailey, Cutler and Lynch, who were the Broncos' finalists for their Man of the Year award, each will receive $2,000 donated toward a charitable cause of their choice.
Additionally, the organization on Friday recognized a special group of Denver Broncos Ambassadors who are up-and-coming in the world of community service. Those honored were safety Hamza Abdullah, cornerback Dre' Bly, safety Nick Ferguson and tight end/long snapper Mike Leach.
Recent Broncos nominees for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award include wide receiver Rod Smith (2006 and '04), Lynch (2005), linebacker Ian Gold (2003) and wide receiver Ed McCaffrey (2002). Quarterback John Elway (1992) is the only Broncos player ever to win the national award, which was first given in 1970 and renamed after the Chicago Bears' Pro Football Hall of Fame running back in 1999