Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Tackle Cameron Heyward Named Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
Cameron Heyward, a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was named the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, the NFL announced today. During Thursday night’s NFL Honours telecast on CBS, Prince Harry gave out the award.
According to a joint press statement from the NFL and Nationwide on Thursday, the award given by Nationwide is the most prestigious in the league and recognizes NFL players who thrive on the field and show a commitment to making a lasting good effect outside of the game.
First established in 1970, the national award was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton.
How about discussing Prince Harry unexpectedly presenting my father's award tonight? We had no clue! So crazy! #NFLHonors #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/BK3nTPBCbS
— Jarrett Payton (@paytonsun) February 9, 2024
All 32 NFL clubs’ Man of the Year nominees will be honored for their achievements in the game and their communities before Super Bowl LVIII’s beginning. Heyward will be presented as the 2023 recipient of Man of the Year during the pregame.
Over his 13 NFL seasons, Cameron Heyward has become a leading voice in the locker room and is known for producing some of the best defensive line plays in the league. His 78.5 career sacks are the most by a Steelers defensive lineman since 1982, third-most by an active NFL defensive tackle and in Steelers franchise history.
In the nine seasons that he’s served as defensive captain, his 116 tackles for loss and 177 quarterback hits both rank third among active defensive linemen. Heyward’s on-field accolades include six Pro Bowls, three Associated Press First Team All-Pros, three Pro Football Focus First Team All-Pro titles, and two Pro Football Writers of America All-NFL nods among others.
Additionally, Heyward is only the second Steelers’ interior defensive lineman (DT-NT) to be voted Associated Press First-Team All-Pro more than once.
Growing up with his mother and his three brothers after the death of his father, Heyward was exposed to the struggles children and parents of a single-parent household face. Now, as a son, brother, husband, and father, Heyward greatly cherishes family and instills the value of service in hopes of building a lasting legacy.
