Patrick Mahomes Reacts to Winning Nationwide’s Charity Challenge

Kansas City's star quarterback is the third Chiefs player in a row to win the challenge.

From Dec. 6 of last year until Jan. 11 of this year, Nationwide served as the presenting sponsor of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award by presenting football fans with a unique opportunity to go on Twitter and help their team's nominee win the Nationwide Charity Challenge. 

The winner of the yearly challenge receives a $25,000 contribution to benefit his foundation and for the past two challenges, members of the Kansas City Chiefs organization ended up winning. After watching Travis Kelce win in 2020-21 and Tyrann Mathieu do so in 2021-22, Patrick Mahomes followed suit as this year's first-place finisher. Mahomes is the fourth Chiefs winner in the challenge's eight-year history.

This year, Chiefs fans helped Mahomes finish above Washington Commanders offensive tackle Charles Leno and Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins. Leno and Dawkins received respective contributions of $10,000 and $5,000 from Nationwide, with Mahomes taking home the largest award. His 15 and the Mahomies Foundation now gets a major helping hand and on Thursday, Mahomes shared his thoughts (through Nationwide) on winning:

"It is a tremendous honor to win this year’s Charity Challenge. Since before I joined the League, it has been a goal of mine to make a lasting impact on the communities that have given so much to me. Brittany and I are forever grateful for the continued support and passion that we receive from Chiefs Kingdom both on and off the field. Thank you to all of the incredible fans that voted for me for this honor and the continued support for our efforts with 15 and the Mahomies. Together, we are making a lasting impact on kids in underserved communities."

Mahomes is known for his on-field brilliance, but his off-the-field impact in the Kansas City community also cannot be understated. 15 and the Mahomies was established by Mahomes in 2019, and its purpose is to improve the lives of children via initiatives centered around health, wellness, under-resourced communities and more. His work doesn't go unnoticed, and winning the Nationwide Charity Challenge is just another example of that.

Thank you #ChiefsKingdom https://t.co/WqkBtvFn08

— @15andmahomies (@15andMahomies) January 12, 2023

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced on Thursday, February 9 at 9 p.m. ET during the annual NFL Honors broadcast. Mahomes is competing with 31 other representatives — one from each NFL club — for the award. Last year's winner was former Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle, Andrew Whitworth. 

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