COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 13, 2020 — “Every 1 Matters.” That’s the mantra that inspires Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and “The Cam Newton Foundation” as they work to enhance the lives of young people in the Charlotte, North Carolina area and around the country. Because of the support of Panthers Nation and fans across the country, Cam’s foundation will get extra funds to continue their mission of addressing the socioeconomic, educational, physical and emotional needs of kids everywhere, courtesy of Nationwide.
Nationwide announced today that the Carolina Panthers Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award nominee has won the fifth annual Charity Challenge. Nationwide will contribute $25,000 to The Cam Newton Foundation.
Nationwide is the presenting sponsor of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award which is given to the player who demonstrates excellence on the field and in his community. Nationwide launched the Charity Challenge on Dec. 12, 2019 as a way to further elevate and promote the work that each of the 32 nominees are doing to improve the lives of others. The month-long social media promotion gave NFL fans the opportunity to show support for their favorite nominee and offer players a chance to secure a $25,000 contribution from Nationwide to their charity of choice.
Fans were invited to vote for their favorite nominee on Twitter by using #WPMOYChallenge and their favorite nominee’s last name. The player who received the most votes by Jan. 12, 2020 received the $25,000 contribution.
In all, Newton received over 600,000 votes on Twitter.
“I appreciate the fans for showing support in helping me win Nationwide’s Charity Challenge. I’m using this platform to enhance programs and grants that will greatly impact the community,” said Cam Newton. “To be nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is something that I really appreciate – because it’s bigger than football. God has blessed me and all I’m trying to do is bless others.”
Washington Redskins long snapper Nick Sundberg finished second with nearly 300,000 votes, while Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph finished third with almost 260,000 votes. Nationwide will contribute $10,000 to Loads of Love and the Redskins Charitable Foundation on behalf of Sundberg while Rudolph’s foundation, Kyle Rudolph’s End Zone, will receive $5,000 from Nationwide.
During the promotion, fans used the 32 different team nominees’ hashtags more than 1.8 million times.
“Since its inception, the Charity Challenge has grown year-after-year to promote these players’ amazing contributions to their communities. We absolutely love NFL fan, player, and team engagement around a friendly competition for charitable dollars,” said Ramon Jones, Nationwide’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Nationwide congratulates Cam Newton on winning this year’s challenge and thanks all of the nominees and their fans for participating.”
The 2019 NFL season marks the sixth year of Nationwide’s sponsorship of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. Since 2014, Nationwide has contributed more than $1.2 million to the charitable foundations represented by the various nominees.
The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide will be announced during ‘NFL Honors’ on Saturday, February 1st, the eve of Super Bowl LIV, at 8 PM ET on FOX.
For more information on the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide, please visit www.nfl.com/manoftheyear.