WASHINGTON The NFL Players Association annually recognizes players who go above and beyond to perform community service in their team cities and hometowns.
The Byron Whizzer White Award is the highest honor the NFLPA can bestow on a player. This years finalists are: Charlie Batch (Pittsburgh Steelers), Chad Greenway (Minnesota Vikings), Charles Tillman (Chicago Bears), Benjamin Watson (Cleveland Browns) and Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys).
The award was established by the professional football players of America to acknowledge a debt of gratitude to one of their own, Supreme Court Justice Byron Raymond Whizzer Whitescholar, athlete, patriot, humanitarian and public servant. The NFLPA presents this prestigious annual award to the player that is just as dedicated off the field as he is on the field.
During annual NFLPA locker room meetings, players selected teammates to be recognized with NFLPA PULSE Awards for their outstanding work in the community. These winners were invited to submit applications for the Byron Whizzer White Award in order to receive monetary donations for their foundations or a charity of their choice.
A panel of peers selected the five finalists from the pool of PULSE winners. All finalists will receive additional charity donations, and one will be named the 2013 Byron Whizzer White Award winner and receive an additional $100,000 for his charity. The 2013 Byron Whizzer White judging panel includes Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk), Kathleen Sebelius (U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services), Jim Trotter (Sports Illustrated), Richard Trumka (President, AFL-CIO) and Brian Waters (Pro Player Insiders).