HOUSTON — Plenty of times, Eli Manning requests there be no cameras, no advance publicity. He has been around hospitals enough to realize his visits with sick children usually work better without any hubbub.
“Always emphasize, ‘Hey, it’s not a publicity stunt,’ ” Manning said this week. “The kids, they’re going to act different if you walk in with a camera behind you. That’s not the purpose. The purpose is to be there with the kids, try to lift their spirits or talk to the parents, try to make a difference that way.”
Manning has been making a difference for many years, and on Saturday night at NFL Honors, he was saluted for his efforts. He won the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which recognizes an NFL player for excellence on and off the field. Manning shared the award with Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
No Giants player ever had won the award. Eli’s older brother, Peyton, won the award in 2005.
“My commitment is to help sick kids,” Eli said to those in attendance at the awards show. “Their struggle isn’t easy, but their spirit, their laugh, their smile, their belief that everything will be OK continually amazes me and hurt me at the same time.
“I challenge everyone here to help someone in need. You choose! But go out of your way to make a difference in some person’s life. I promise you it’s worth it.”
This was the third time in the 47-year history of the award it was shared between two players.
“I told Larry earlier this week the last time we were up for an award together was the 2003 Heisman Trophy, and it did not go well for either of us that night,” Manning said. “And to come back 13 years later and to be up for an award and for both of us to win it is very special.”
Ever since he arrived to the Giants in 2004, Manning has shown an affinity for reaching out to the community. He works with the March of Dimes, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, American Red Cross, the Scholastic’s ClassroomCare program, and Eli and his wife founded the Eli and Abby Manning Children’s Clinics in Jackson, Miss.
Manning especially is active with charities that focus on children. One of his most significant endeavors is his involvement with Tackle Kids’ Cancer, an initiative with Hackensack University Medical Center. Not only does Manning raise money and awareness for the program, he spends significant time with patients and doctors at the hospital’s pediatric cancer center.
Von Miller of the Broncos won the Defensive Player of the Year award. Landon Collins, the Giants’ second-year safety, was one of the four finalists.
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