When the 2nd Annual NFL Honors Show airs on the CBS the day before Super Bowl XLVII on Feb 2nd, it will give out the awards for the year.
The finalists for the Water Payton Man of the Year Award are Larry Fitzgerald for the Arizona Cardinals, Jason Witten for the Dallas Cowboys and Joe Thomas for the Cleveland Browns.
The award is given to the best player who combines his performance both on and off the field. The award was renamed for the Hall of Famer Walter Payton in 1999, shortly after he passed away. Walter Payton won the award in 1977.
The award was first given in 1970, when Baltimore Colts Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas became its first winner to receive the prestigious honor.
The three finalists were chosen from among the 32 team nominees for the award, all of whom receive a $1,000 donation from the NFL Foundation to the charity of their choice. The three finalists will receive an additional $5,000 donation in their name. The selection panel is comprised of NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL, former NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE, CONNIE PAYTON, Pro Football Hall of Fame members FRANK GIFFORD and ANTHONY MUÑOZ, 2011 winner MATT BIRK, and Sports Illustrated football writer PETER KING.
The winners for the last three seasons were Matt Birk for the Baltimore Ravens in 2011, Madieu Williams of the Minnesota Vikings in 2010 and Brian Waters for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009.
The NFL Honors Awards Show will be hosted in New Orleans, the site of Super Bowl XLVII, on CBS February 2nd, 2013, from 9pm-11pm EST.
