It's been quite a week for the Heyward family. First, Cam Heyward and Connor Heyward shared a moment this past Sunday that will last them a lifetime. Now, Cam's toughness on the field and kindness off the field has been honored by his team and the NFL.
The Steelers announced Tuesday that Cam Heyward is the team's nominee for the 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. This is the fifth time Heyward has been nominated by the Steelers for the prestigious award, which recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field.
"There are a lot of guys in the league who give back," Mike Tomlin said in a press release. "I think where Cam stands out is his consistency. Year in and year out, he's been a consistent leader and role model on the field and in the community for the young players on this team. It's been special having a guy like that in our locker room for over a decade now."
Heyward has long been a stalwart in the Pittsburgh community. This year Heyward increased his effort, highlighted by the expansion of his Craig's Closet program to 10 high schools in the Pittsburgh Public School District. This program, named after his late father, provides high school boys in the Pittsburgh area with free dress clothes for interviews, internships and more. The project will now total 15 locations.
Heyward started the season by hosting a Teacher Appreciation Dinner at training camp, where he also announced a $10,000 donation to fund their classroom projects. Over the years, Cam's foundation has funded over $50,000 worth of classroom projects for teachers.
This season, Heyward hosted his first Cam's Kindness Week. This entire week was dedicated to supporting the Pittsburgh community, which included visits to UPMC Children's Hospital alongside teammate T.J. Watt, Angel's Place to provide early learning toys to children in qualifying childcare and early education programs, and the We Repair The World Garden to help lay down a brick path to make the garden more accessible to the surrounding community.
During Cam Kindness week, Heyward also installed a new Little Free Library in McKeesport Presbyterian Church's Head Start Program, the sixth free library Heyward has created in the Pittsburgh area to promote literacy and education in the area as part of a project he began in 2020 to honor his grandparents Judy and Rufus Jordan. Heyward also opened a Craig's Closest at the Pittsburgh Obama Academy and wrapped up the week by presenting a $10,000 donation to the Girls High School Flag Football in Pittsburgh to help more teams get their programs up and running.
Through his Heyward House Foundation, Heyward's "Blessings In A Backpack" program has continued to provide elementary school-aged kids nutritious food over the weekend. In previous years, this program supported over 1,980 meals for children. This year, Heyward partnered with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to donate $10,000, expanding the program to provide 9,300 meals.
In addition, Heyward once again partnered with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to host his annual Thanksgiving Food Distribution, supporting over 200 families on a yearly basis. Since 2017, Cam has supported over 1,200 families with meals.
"Pittsburgh has done so much for my family and I," Heyward said in a press release. "My parents instilled in us at a young age the importance of giving back, and I'm just so thankful that I'm in a position to make an impact and help people in this community."
The award was first established in 1970 and was renamed after the late Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton in 1999.
The winner of the award each year receives a $250,000 donated to the winner's charity of choice. All other 31 nominees receive up to $40,000 donated to their charity of choice.
The 2022 winner will be revealed during NFL Honors ahead of Super Bowl LVII.
The full list of nominees:
• 49ers: DT Arik Armstead
• Bears: CB Jaylon Johnson
• Bengals: DE Sam Hubbard
• Bills: T Dion Dawkins
• Broncos: G Dalton Risner
• Browns: G Joel Bitonio
• Buccaneers: DE William Gholston
• Cardinals: TE Zach Ertz
• Chargers: S Derwin James
• Chiefs: QB Patrick Mahomes
• Colts: LB Shaquille Leonard
• Commanders: T Charles Leno Jr.
• Cowboys: QB Dak Prescott
• Dolphins: LB Jaelan Phillips
• Eagles: DE Brandon Graham
• Falcons: G Chris Lindstrom
• Giants: RB Saquon Barkley
• Jaguars: G Tyler Shatley
• Jets: DL Solomon Thomas
• Lions: QB Jared Goff
• Packers: RB Aaron Jones
• Panthers: DT Derrick Brown
• Patriots: DL Lawrence Guy
• Raiders: P A.J. Cole
• Rams: G Tremayne Anchrum
• Ravens: S Chuck Clark
• Saints: LB Demario Davis
• Seahawks: WR Tyler Lockett
• Steelers: DT Cam Heyward
• Texans: LB Christian Kirksey
• Titans: RB Derrick Henry
• Vikings: WR Adam Thielen