Ravens center Matt Birk has been named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.
Each year, every NFL team selects one player for his distinguished work in the community, along with his excellence on the field. Each nominee receives $1,000 towards their respective charity. Birk was selected as one of the three finalists of the 32 nominees. The two finalists who are not selected as the winner earn $5,000. As the league-wide winner of the prestigious award, Birk will receive a $25,000 donation to his charity.
Birk has been a nominee seven times prior to this year, and was a finalist in 2008, but this is his first time winning the award.
The Harvard grad has not only been a force on the field for the Ravens, but has also immersed himself in the community since arriving in Baltimore in 2009. He used his H.I.K.E. Foundation (hope, inspiration, knowledge and education) as a platform to launch the "Ready, Set, Read!" campaign in the Baltimore area to encourage children to read at home, and has been an advocate for children's literacy programs.
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