The Philadelphia Eagles nominated offensive tackle Lane Johnson for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. The Eagles surprised the 33-year-old by announcing his nomination during their film session and asked Jason Kelce to deliver a speech for Johnson. In an extremely passionate expletive-filled monologue, Kelce, with his voice breaking near the end, emotionally spoke about his Eagles teammate's well-deserved NFL Man of the Year nomination.

“This award, a lot of the time, just goes to someone who gives a bunch of f—— money to a charity and does a bunch of s— out in the f—— open,” Jason Kelce said. “That ain’t you, and we all know that. But that doesn’t take away what you mean to the guys in this room, this building, these people. That’s why they f—— nominated you, because everyone finally f—— sees who you are.

“When I think of a man, I think of somebody who weathers the ups and downs in life, how you move forward. You’re doing better than I’ve ever seen, and it’s so f—— awesome to see. I know it ain’t all been perfect all the time, but there ain’t a f—— in the NFL that represents that better than you. That’s important for you to hear.”

The NFL awards the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year to give recognition to an NFL player's excellence on and off the field. Apart from being an elite offensive lineman, Johnson is also known for being a big advocate of mental health awareness. In October 2021, the Eagles star opened up about his struggles with anxiety and depression.

 

Lane Johnson took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his gratitude and honor for the nomination.