FOXBOROUGH, Mass– The New England Patriots announced today Kyle Van Noy as its nominee for the WALTER PAYTON NFL MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE. Considered one of the league's most prestigious honors, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. Each of the league's 32 nominees were announced today.

Kyle and his wife, Marissa, started the Van Noy Valor Foundation, a mission that helps initiatives relating to adopted, foster and disadvantaged youth who are in need. Kyle and Marissa chose a cause that is near and dear to their hearts, as Kyle was adopted as an infant and Marissa's father and younger brother were both adopted. They are both committed to doing anything they can to help make a difference in the lives of children by committing and volunteering to serve and support our community. The Van Noy Valor Foundation strives to provide opportunities to encourage personal valor in youth by giving them resources and tools to reach their full potential.

"We are happy to nominate Kyle Van Noy for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. "We are so proud of Kyle's accomplishments on the field as a New England Patriot, but even more so of his character and his contributions in the community. His Van Noy Valor Foundation has helped countless children and families. He and Marissa are remembering their childhoods and how foster care and adoption positively impacted their lives. Kyle's personal connection to the reason behind their foundation is inspiring."

"It is a great honor to be nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award," said Van Noy. "Our foundation was put together so that we can share our stories and promote foster care and adoption and show how beautiful it is. It is meaningful because I have lived it, it is a part me and it is a part of my wife and her family. We understand the process, and we've seen the positive outcomes of the situation we are in. We like to share our message and hopefully it inspires other families."

As a nominee, Kyle will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field.

For the second year in a row, all 32 team winners will be highlighted as nominees and recognized for their important work during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl LIV.

The 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on Feb. 1, the eve of Super Bowl LIV, on FOX. NFL Honors will be at the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami.

All 32 nominees will receive a donation of up to $50,000 in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of their choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.

Fans are encouraged to participate in Nationwide's 5th annual Charity Challenge, a social media campaign designed to support and promote team nominees. Fans can vote on Twitter by using #WPMOYChallenge followed by their favorite nominee's last name. The player whose unique hashtag is used the most between Dec. 12 and Jan. 12 will receive a $25,000 contribution to their charity of choice, while the second and third place finishers will receive $10,000 and $5,000 donations, all courtesy of Nationwide. Hashtag information and official rules can be found at nfl.com/manoftheyear.

More information about the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award can be found at http://www.nfl.com/manoftheyear.