Byron Jones Named Dolphins Man of the Year Nominee

Cornerback Byron Jones was named Thursday as the Miami Dolphins nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

Alain Poupart | Dec 10, 2020

Cornerback Byron Jones has made quite an impact on the field in his first season with the Miami Dolphins, but now he has been recognized for his off-the-field work.

The team announced Thursday that Jones was selected as the Dolphins nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide. The award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field.

All of the league’s 32 nominees were announced Thursday and the list includes former Dolphins safety Michael Thomas selected by the Houston Texans.

Jones, who was signed in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent from the Dallas Cowboys, commits every Tuesday to leading the team’s Social Impact Committee in conference calls, community events and casting the vision for the future of the committee. This commitment involves many hours each week to ensure the committee communicates and provokes unique thoughts that turn into actions.

Jones hosts football camps in his hometown to empower kids to get involved in both football and their communities, teaching teamwork, responsibility and dependability.

As a nominee, Jones will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field.

For the third year in a row, all 32 team winners will be highlighted as nominees and recognized for their important work during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl LV. The 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a prime-time awards special to air the week of Super Bowl LV, on CBS.

All 32 nominees will receive a $40,000 donation in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of their choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.

The Dolphins nominee last year was defensive tackle Davon Godchaux.

Dolphins players have won the Man of the Year award three times: Dwight Stephenson in 1985, Dan Marino in 1998 and Jason Taylor in 2007.

Published Dec 10, 2020

ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.