For Immediate Release

September 4, 2018

NFLPA ESTABLISHES “ALAN PAGE COMMUNITY AWARD” AS ITS HIGHEST HONOR

Pro Football Hall of Famer has served as a pioneer for the players union and within society

WASHINGTON – In recognition of his continued impact on the players union, its members and their surrounding communities, the NFL Players Association has established its highest honor as the NFLPA Alan Page Community (APC) Award.

Since 1967, the NFLPA has annually recognized one player who goes above and beyond to perform community service in his hometown and team city. Previously named after former NFL running back and Supreme Court Justice Byron “Whizzer” White, the APC Award will continue in this tradition, serving as the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player.

“Alan Page has been a stalwart for the players union since his early days as an Executive Committee member as well as a pioneer for social justice during his distinguished 23-year tenure on the Minnesota Supreme Court,” NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said. “To this day, Alan continues to serve as a strong ambassador for not only the game of football, but also of the values that we all should hold true – community service, leadership and philanthropy.”

Page played 15 seasons for the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, serving as a NFLPA player rep (1970-74, 76-77) and Executive Committee member (1972-1975). The Pro Football Hall of Famer has also made his mark in the legal field, culminating with his 1992 election as an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Since retiring from the bench in 2015, Page has focused his work on the Alan Page Education Foundation, which he co-founded with his wife in 1988. The organization provides financial assistance and mentoring to minority students in exchange for their further commitment to community service.

“Every NFL player can look to Alan Page as an example on and off the field,” Smith said, “which is why it makes perfect sense to have his name on the NFLPA’s highest honor.”

The APC awardee will be selected annually from among the 18 winners of the NFLPA’s Community MVP program, which returns for its fifth season as one of the union’s hallmark initiatives.

The Community MVP campaign will kick off with a Week 0 edition recognizing those players who performed acts of service during the last month of the offseason. The Week 0 winner will be announced this Friday, with the runner-ups recognized on Monday across the NFLPA’s social media channels.

The NFLPA is also proud to introduce Forever Collectibles as the newest supporting partner of the Community MVP. Along with Delta Private Jets, who is entering its third season as a supporting partner, both companies have displayed a commitment to the program’s mission of recognizing NFL players who make a positive impact in their hometowns and team cities.

Each week during the regular season, the NFLPA will celebrate one active NFL player who has demonstrated a commitment to giving back to his community. The NFLPA will make a $10,000 contribution to the player’s foundation or charity of choice as well as an in-kind donation by Delta Private Jets to the player for being named the NFLPA Community MVP. Additionally, a limited-edition bobblehead of each winner will be created and made available for purchase by Forever Collectibles at www.foco.com and www.sportsfanisland.com. A portion of those proceeds will be donated by the NFLPA to the player’s foundation or charity of choice.

From the pool of weekly Community MVPs, a distinguished panel of judges will choose five finalists for the APC Award, each of whom will receive an additional $10,000. From those five finalists, the active player membership will vote for the APC Award winner, who will receive an additional $100,000 for his foundation or charity of choice. The APC Award winner will be announced at the NFLPA’s annual Super Bowl press conference.

This campaign is part of the NFLPA’s continued efforts to support the community outreach of our members, which is not only limited to the season. For more information, please visit www.nflpa.com/community-mvp.

PAST COMMUNITY MVP WINNERS* :

2017

2016:

Justin Forsett (Baltimore Ravens)

Patrick Peterson (Arizona Cardinals)

Kevin Pamphile (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Lamarr Houston (Chicago Bears)

Eddie Lacy (Green Bay Packers)

Victor Cruz (New York Giants)

Bradley Roby (Denver Broncos)

Brandon Williams (Baltimore Ravens)

Ryan Kerrigan (Washington Redskins)

Clinton McDonald (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Danny Amendola (New England Patriots)

Golden Tate (Detroit Lions)

Kam Chancellor (Seattle Seahawks)

Michael Thomas (Miami Dolphins)

Kelvin Beachum (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Morgan Moses (Washington Redskins)

Julius Thomas (Jacksonville Jaguars)

2015:



Sam Barrington (Green Bay Packers)

Justin Tuck (Oakland Raiders)

Matt Forte (Chicago Bears)

Cliff Avril (Seattle Seahawks)

Vontae Davis (Indianapolis Colts)

William Hayes (St. Louis Rams)

Michael Thomas (Miami Dolphins)

Jacob Tamme (Atlanta Falcons)

Malcolm Jenkins (Philadelphia Eagles)

Don Carey III (Detroit Lions)

Sammy Watkins (Buffalo Bills)

Carlos Dunlap (Cincinnati Bengals)

Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs)

Morgan Moses (Washington Redskins)

Brian Cushing (Houston Texans)

Thomas Davis (Carolina Panthers)

Dont’a Hightower (New England Patriots)

2014:

Davin Joseph (St. Louis Rams)

Glover Quin (Detroit Lions)

Vincent Jackson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Brock Osweiler (Denver Broncos)

Calais Campbell (Arizona Cardinals)

Jeff Cumberland (New York Jets)

Tramon Williams (Green Bay Packers)

T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts)

Delanie Walker (Tennessee Titans)

Mark Ingram (New Orleans Saints)

Ryan Mathews (San Diego Chargers)

Julius Thomas (Denver Broncos)

Ryan Kerrigan (Washington Redskins)

Patrick Chung (New England Patriots)

Torrey Smith (Baltimore Ravens)

*Teams listed indicate player’s club when he was honored

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About the NFL Players Association:

The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected—including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players, and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through 2020. Learn more at www.nflpa.com.