Eagle Chris Long among 32 NFL Man of Year finalists

PHILADELPHIA (FOX 29) - Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long is among the 32 nominees announced Thursday for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

Unlike in the past, when three finalists were selected before a recipient was chosen, one player from every NFL team is a finalist. All will be recognized and participate in NFL functions during Super Bowl week. The Man of the Year will be revealed at NFL Honors, when The Associated Press' individual NFL awards are announced Feb. 2 (Saturday night) in Atlanta.

The Man of the Year is honored for outstanding community service off the field, as well as excellence on it. It was established in 1970 and renamed in 1999 for the Hall of Fame running back.

"The Man of the Year Award gives us the opportunity to acknowledge 32 exemplary players whose commitment to excellence extends on and off the field," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "This year's nominees have used their platforms to transform communities across the country. We are proud of their work and celebrate their dedication and impact through this award."

A total of $500,000 will be donated in the name of the 2018 recipient, with $250,000 going to Character Playbook, the NFL and United Way's digital character education program. An additional donation of $250,000 will be made to the charity of his choice.

The other 31 finalists will receive a donation of $50,000 in their name to expand Character Playbook, and an additional donation of up to $50,000 to their charity of choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation, United Way Worldwide, and Nationwide, the presenter of the Walter Payton Award.

This season, Long announced the launch of his 'First Quarter for Literacy' campaign. Long donated a quarter of his salary to support Philadelphia's 'Read by 4th Campaign' that aims to develop students into strong readers by 4th grade.

Last season, Long made headlines for his work off the field after he donated all 16 of his game checks to charity to benefit educational equality and social justice reform. Long's first six game checks went to funding a scholarship program at St. Anne's-Belfield School, where he attended high school in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The five current players who have won the award - Drew Brees, Thomas Davis, Larry Fitzgerald, Eli Manning and J.J. Watt - wear a Man of the Year patch on their jerseys. All 2018 finalists will wear a Man of the Year helmet decal beginning this week through the end of the season.

The finalists:

Arizona Cardinals - Antoine Bethea

Atlanta Falcons -Grady Jarrett

Baltimore Ravens -Brandon Carr

Buffalo Bills- Lorenzo Alexander

Carolina Panthers- Julius Peppers

Chicago Bears- Trey Burton

Cincinnati Bengals- Carlos Dunlap

Cleveland Browns -Christian Kirksey

Dallas Cowboys- Dak Prescott

Denver Broncos - Von Miller

Detroit Lions- Matthew Stafford