Olivier Vernon Named Dolphins 2014 Walter Payton Man Of The Year Nominee

Olivier Vernon has been getting more and more recognition for his play at defensive end. He now has earned accolades for his work off the field.

Vernon has been announced as the Dolphins’ 2014 nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, presented by Nationwide.

The award, named after the late Hall of Fame running back of the Chicago Bears, is given annually to the player who best exemplifies a commitment to philanthropy and community involvement.

“I didn’t even know I was going to get that,” Vernon said Wednesday. “It’s a great thing. I want to thank all my teammates as far as trying to get me out there and helping me out with my camps and participating. Just giving back to the community is a big thing. I love just giving back to home. My home is in my backyard right now, so I’m just glad I had the opportunity to do that.”

The list of 32 Man of the Year nominees will be pared down to three finalists in January and the winner will be announced in Arizona, the site of Super Bowl XLIX, during the fourth annual NFL Honors awards show, a two-hour prime-time special Saturday, Jan. 31, from 9-11 p.m. ET on NBC.

Vernon and the other 31 team nominees will 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, and the winner will receive an additional $20,000 donation in his name.

The Dolphins have had three winners of the award: Dwight Stephenson in 1985, Dan Marino in 1998 and Jason Taylor in 2007.

Vernon, a third-year player from the University of Miami, has been actively involved in community activities for a long time, even before he joined the Dolphins.

“I’ve always done stuff when I was back at UM with (Coach Randy) Shannon or when I was in high school doing things for the community,” Vernon said. It’s just something else that’s natural. I was always trying to give back as much as I can.”

Vernon lately has been particularly passionate about helping to grow youth football in South Florida and has been heavily involved with the Dolphins Academy, which he attended as a youth, often running camps and clinics.

Vernon’s community work also has included working with local schools in team laser tag; distributing book bags to kids in need at Dave & Buster’s; walking in support of WalkAbout Autism; reading to kids at a local library; and donating a block of tickets for every home game to various charities through his participation in an All Community Team.

This past summer, Vernon spoke to 400 middle school students at a team summit at Florida International University.

NFL.com included a short explanation on how each team came up with its nominee, and this what was written about Vernon:

How has your nominee put the needs of members in the community ahead of their own?

“Olivier is a South Florida native and is constantly serving in various capacities to make his community better. In the offseason, he schedules vacations and leisure around his community events. He wants to make sure he gives back to the kids of his community. Olivier also volunteered his time to be part of the Dolphins’ first Heads Up Football Mom’s Clinic in July. He demonstrated the importance of proper equipment fitting and answered questions from a crowd of almost 300 women.”

What is your nominee’s next initiative?

“Olivier is very active in the South Florida community and is a consistent participant in our player events on Mondays. He will have his annual football camp in May and again be very involved in helping us teach and train youth football players in South Florida.”

When did your nominee start supporting this cause?

“He started almost immediately when he was drafted to the Dolphins. He started his football camps last year and has been working with our youth football department for the three years he has been with the organization.”


(dolphins.com)