Vikings nominate Kyle Rudolph for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award

For the second year in a row, Kyle Rudolph has been nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

According to Vikings.com the Walter Payton Man of the Year nominations are given to certain NFL players for their “...outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field.”

Rudolph has always gone above and beyond to help in the community, but he has really stepped up his efforts ever since he and his wife Jordan opened the Kyle Rudolph’s End Zone at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. Kyle and Jordan built this area as a spot for kids to have therapeutic play while still feeling like normal kids.

The Kyle Rudolph End Zone is a special place for these kids. It is 2,500 square feet for starts and host everything from an indoor basketball hoop, digital sports simulator and, a lounge with table games. It also has a TV and video game area and a wall for children who have autism spectrum disorder and a quiet space for families. It is so special that many families come early or stay late just to have fun while they are there getting treatment.

Kyle knows how special the End Zone are is to the University of Minnesota and the patients that are seen. “Both Jordan and I are extremely passionate about kids and anything that we can do to help kids be just that. They’re not in the circumstances they’re in for a reason. These diseases and cancers that they’re fighting don’t discriminate. They didn’t choose to have their childhood taken away from them…I think the biggest thing that we try to do is provide these kids with an opportunity to be kids.”

While Rudolph’s main focus is giving comfort to the kids and making sure they are comfortable while in the hospital, he is very gracious and humbled by his second nomination. “It truly is an honor to represent the Vikings as the Walter Payton Man of the Year. There’s so many guys that have represented this organization so well as our past nominees and it truly is my pleasure to carry on as this year’s nominee.”

You can help Rudolph by Participating in the #WPMOYChallenge on Twitter from December 6^th to January 13^th. In this tweet you need to include Kyle Rudolph’s name and make it stand it out from others. The players whose name is most used will receive a $25,000 donation to the charity of their choice.