Corey Peters Named Cardinals Walter Payton Man Of The Year

[Big Red]

Corey Peters had his season end after injuring his knee, but his impact on the Cardinals -- and the community -- hasn't changed.


So it was fitting the veteran defensive lineman was named the Cardinals' Walter Payton Man of the Year on Wednesday.


It was the second time Peters has been named a team's Man of the Year, having been honored by the Falcons in 2011.


Each team's Walter Payton Man of the Year is chosen for a combination of outstanding work in the community as well as outstanding play on the field. The NFL Man of the Year award is chosen among the 32 team honorees and announced the week of the Super Bowl. Peters gets a $40,000 donation to a charity of his choosing.


Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was named NFL Man of the Year in 2016, and quarterback Kurt Warner earned the award in 2008. The winner gets $250,000 for the charity of his choice.


Peters created the Peters Education Enrichment Project (PEEP) to make a difference in communities while also developing life skills and building future leaders. Peters, after signing with the Cardinals as a free agent in 2015, continued PEEP in Arizona as well as volunteering often in the community.


In the South Pointe School District in Phoenix, Peters began a bi-weekly book club, with lunch and an in-person discussion with high school students. He kept The Corey Peters Playbook meetings going virtually once the pandemic hit. He has also worked with the Harvest Compassion Center to distribute care packages in the South Pointe district to families in need in July, and Thanksgiving turkeys to those in need in the district last month. Peters os also an an ambassador for Feed the Children, whose mission is to end childhood hunger.

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