Thomas Davis is the 2014 NFL Man of the Year

What do you think of when you think of Thomas Davis? Do you think of the strong side linebacker who runs down opposing offenses and delivers vicious hits in conjunction with teammate Luke Kuechly? Do you think of the guy who has torn his ACL three times but still performs? Do you think of the guy who was drafted when most of the league saw a safety, became a linebacker. Do you think of a guy whose original role was to spy Michael Vick?
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Well now you will have to think of something else as well. Thomas Davis won the 2014 Walter Payton Mon of the Year Award from the NFL. The award was given to Davis for his long time work with the Defending Dreams Foundation, which he started with his wife Kelly.
Davis’s speech at the League Awards program challenged other NFL stars to go out and do the same. Davis noted that there was no time like the present to get started, when people seemed to have negative picture of the League. There has been too much domestic violence and ball deflation in the League this year.
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The NFL needs lots of good characters in the League. There are a lot of them, like Davis, who we just never hear about. It reminds me a little of the effort that owner Jerry Richardson made to convert that Oklahoma kid to the Panthers by sending him a Luke Kuechly signed helmet.
Davis’s organization also reaches out to the youth. His efforts include educational support for underprivileged youth and a leadership academy. The other good thing is that Davis did not win the award in a runaway. Aaron Rodgers and Anquan Boldin were the runners up, which means that they must be giving back too.