The Green Bay Packers found a special way to let quarterback Jordan Love know he’s the team’s 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee.
In a sweet video posted to the team’s social media channels, the Packers brought Love into a studio and told him he was taping reads from a teleprompter. When Love was puzzled by the teleprompter being blank, wife Ronika Stone Love and mom Anna Love walked into the studio.
Love’s face lit up when he saw them, and then Anna handed him a card and said, “Since you’re doing all the good reading, can you read this out loud for me?”
“What a surprise this is,” Love responded. And then he read the card.
“Congratulations! You’re the Green Bay Packers’ nominee for the 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year.”
With cheers from Anna and Ronika, Love said, “Crazy! Thank you! Wow, what a surprise! Y’all got me!”
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is the league’s most prestigious honor, recognizing players who excel on the field and demonstrate a commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game.
Love launched his foundation, Hands of 10ve, in 2024 to empower children to participate in sports, raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention, and foster stronger relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
Through his 10ve for Cleats initiative, he has given shoes to youth sports teams and will be donating new cleats to a youth sports team in Wisconsin for every passing or rushing touchdown he scores this season.
He also participated in fundraising for the Salvation Army of Greater Green Bay, Rawhide Youth Services and the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. He sponsored community walks in Brown County and Kern County, California, to raise visibility for organizations dedicated to suicide prevention and support those affected by loss.
In April, Love visited the Kern County Youth Detention Center in Bakersfield to talk about the importance of making positive choices, surprising each at-risk youth attendee with a $20,000 scholarship toward trade school or college. Love raised awareness and funds for the Bakersfield Police Activities League (PAL) through the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats initiative.
The Man of the Year Award winner will be announced at the NFL Honors on Feb. 5.
Richard Ryman and Kendra Meinert of the Green Bay Press-Gazette contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jordan Love surprised with Man of Year honor by wife, mom in sweet video
Reporting by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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