In the middle of serving Thanksgiving dinner as one of many Cardinals recently at the Phoenix Rescue Mission, Jonathan Ledbetter had flashbacks to his youth.
In those days, his mother -- who was in the military, the family living on a base -- would take her children to volunteer during the holidays at a soup kitchen.
"I do what I do in the community because it's important to me and people in my community are the reason why I'm the person I am today," said Ledbetter, speaking Tuesday after being named the Cardinals' nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. "That village is created through love and through faith and through sacrifice and through the love of God. I'm grateful to have had my mom and my grandmother and all of the other people who have poured into me and I want to pour into other people as my cup fills over."
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award is presented to a player that excels on the field and goes above and beyond to share their dedication to community service.
With this nomination, $55,000 will be given to a charity of Ledbetter's choice. Nationwide is also providing fans an opportunity to help nominees earn additional dollars for their chosen charities by voting on NFL.com/manoftheyear and on X by using the hashtag #WPMOYChallenge followed by the nominee's last name.
Ledbetter will wear a Walter Payton Man of the Year helmet sticker through the end of the season.
On the field, Ledbetter is having his best season since joining the NFL. He leads the Cardinals defensive line in tackles and has started in all 10 games he's been healthy for this season. He's been a staple on the defensive line.
The statistics back up his growth on the field. His development as a leader off the field has been arguably more impressive and certainly more impactful. Some of Ledbetter's teammates were even surprised to find out he's only 26-years-old since he conducts himself like a decade long NFL veteran.
"We are enormously proud to have him represent the Cardinals and to present him as our 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee," Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said. "Whether it's here in Arizona or in his home state of Georgia, Jonathan has consistently demonstrated a commitment to serving others that exemplifies everything that this award stands for."
Bidwill added that many different Cardinals players could've received the award because many spend their free time going out into the community. He informed the team that Ledbetter was the nominee right before they were dismissed for the bye week.
Ledbetter, who normally isn't at a loss for words, was stunned.
"I'm not even a person who gets really nervous, like speaking or talking kind of comes naturally for me, but that might've been the first time I really froze up," Ledbetter said. "It's just so cool to be celebrated. It's cool to bring light on what we're all doing in the community, and it could have been any one of the guys on the team. We have so many people on our team who want to help and want to give back and people who have helped me give back and do events."
Offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum, linebacker Dennis Gardeck, and Ledbetter hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for 230 families in need. Ledbetter also recognized tight end Trey McBride and linebacker Jesse Luketa, and former Cardinals like J.J. Watt on their efforts in assisting him.
In 2019, once Ledbetter accomplished his dream of making it to the NFL, he launched his own organization, Led A Better Way. Since then, he has hosted youth football camps, gift drives, hospital visits, and many other events throughout Arizona and Georgia. Mental health awareness events were also critical for the third-year defensive lineman to organize. Ledbetter had a battle with depression and has since spoken to high schools and conferences to share his battles. Each time Ledbetter speaks, he emphasizes the point that it is OK to not be OK.
"Openness and vulnerability are two important words right there," Ledbetter said. "I want to be unapologetically me, and I want to be on front street with who I am and what I stand for and I really just truthfully think to be able to exhibit that and do that is important."
All 32 teams nominate a "Man of the Year" and the winner will be announced during NFL Honors the Thursday before Super Bowl LVIII.
"It's bigger than us," Ledbetter said. "It's bigger than football. It's bigger than everything. People love this game because of what we can do on the field, but we have so much to offer off the field as well. I want people to know that we're regular humans too and we want to be able to help and give back and be there for people who need the help."
