William Gay was honored today by the Pittsburgh Steelers as their Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, an honor given to one player on every NFL team for not only the player’s performance on the field, but for the off-the-field community work of a player as well.
In October of this year, Gay helped the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh come up with a new national danger assessment app, RUSafe. This app helps individuals identify if they are a victim of domestic abuse/violence and connects them to a local hotline to assist them if they need help.
Gay is also the national spokesman for the app and more information on it can be found on it here by visiting the Shelter’s RUSafe page. Is has been available for download since November 1st and is available in both Apple’s itunes and Andriod’s app marketplace.
Gay was also one of the 23 current and former NFL players to be featured in the recent “No More” public service announcements to help end domestic violence.
As someone who lost his mother to domestic violence, Gay has made sure that his voice is being heard and that there are easy, accessible ways for people to not only educate themselves about the issue, but also to get them to take action if they do need help.
Gay, a former fifth-round selection in the 2007 draft, has been a mainstay in the Pittsburgh Steelers organization since he entered the league.
He hasn’t missed a single NFL game so far in his career; a streak that spans 121 consecutive games and is the longest active streak for defensive backs in the entire league. Gay has 40 tackles and 1 interception so far this season in ten games played; with the interception going for a 33-yard touchdown return back in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts.
The overall award winner out of the 32 finalists will be announced during Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona, starting in late January with the game being played on February 1st.
Another in-depth look at Gay’s fight against domestic violence (along with his rise) to the NFL can be found by ProPlayerInsider’s Turron Davenport here.
