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**FILE** Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner makes a tackle in the Commanders\u2019 30-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in December 2024. (Abdullah Konte\/The Washington Informer)<\/p>\nWhile much of the nation has had all eyes on the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots for the past week ahead of the Super Bowl, the NFL recently honored a hometown player for his dedication to the game across 14 remarkable seasons.<\/p>\n
On Thursday night in San Francisco, ahead of Sunday\u2019s big game, Commanders\u2019 linebacker Bobby Wagner was named the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year at the NFL Honors, the league\u2019s most prestigious recognition for community service paired with on-field excellence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c[Bobby Wagner is] able to maintain this level of intensity that\u2019s just remarkable,\u201d said Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, highlighting the linebacker\u2019s \u201cconsistency.\u201d<\/p>\n
First awarded in 1970 and renamed in honor of Payton \u2014 a Hall of Fame running back \u2014 in 1999, the NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes players who exemplify excellence on and off the field while making a strong commitment to give back to their communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The recipient of the award receives up to $250,000 for a chosen charity, while each of the league\u2019s 32 nominees receive up to $40,000 towards their philanthropic efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wagner became the first player in Washington franchise history to receive such profound recognition since Hall of Famer Darrell Green in 1996.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a 10-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro, Wagner has recorded more than 100 tackles in every season of his career, setting a gold standard for linebacking greatness, a commitment to excellence shaped by the lasting legacy of his late mother, Phenia Mae Wagner, who died from stroke complications before he began his NFL journey as the Seattle Seahawks\u2019 second-round pick in 2012.<\/p>\n
**FILE** Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner makes a tackle in the Commanders\u2019 30-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in December 2024. (Abdullah Konte\/The Washington Informer)<\/p>\n
In her honor, Wagner founded the FAST54 Phenia Mae Fund, partnering with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Cedars-Sinai, Nationwide Children\u2019s Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente. The initiative supports stroke patients while advancing education and awareness around stroke prevention along with treatment. This effort is a reflection of Wagner\u2019s lifelong commitment to service.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot be up here and not talk about my mom,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cShe is and will ever be my rock. She\u2019s the reason why I\u2019m standing up here. She\u2019s a person that had confidence in me when I didn\u2019t even have confidence in myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Walking in a Mother\u2019s Legacy<\/p>\n
Wagner turned the pain of his mother\u2019s death into purpose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While playing for the Washington Commanders, Wagner completed the Howard University School of Business rigorous 18-month Executive MBA program in just 12 months, finishing in December 2025. He is scheduled to officially graduate from the program in May 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Southern California native spent 11 seasons in Seattle, winning a Super Bowl while cementing himself as one of the greatest defenders of his generation. Over the past two seasons, he has brought the same leadership and passion to Washington, quickly earning the respect and admiration of fans in D.C.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the course of his career, Wagner had been nominated four times for the Walter Payton NFL Man Of The Year Award.<\/p>\n
The Super Bowl champion and 10-time Pro Bowler now stands among the league\u2019s most impactful leaders off the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he received his award Thursday Night, Wagner stepped into the spotlight, not as one of the most enduring stars within the NFL, but as a son honoring his mother\u2019s lasting legacy.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not able to be here, but she lives through me, and everything I do is for her, and I honor her every chance that I get,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cHer love and support is the reason why I\u2019m standing here, and I wouldn\u2019t be here without her. So, again, every time y\u2019all see my face, every time y\u2019all see me do something\u2026. just know that it\u2019s her and I\u2019m in the flesh. She\u2019s not here right now, but she\u2019s here through me. And so, there\u2019s no way that I can accept this award without saying you are really thanking her.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While much of the nation has had all eyes on the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":739979,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2069],"tags":[1740,427,7291,10632,7,6,106645,261,25754,505,14235,855,111,2480],"class_list":["post-739978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-washington-commanders","tag-bobby-wagner","tag-commanders","tag-dan-quinn","tag-darrell-green","tag-football","tag-nfl","tag-phenia-mae-wagner","tag-seattle-seahawks","tag-skylar-nelson","tag-super-bowl","tag-walter-payton","tag-washington","tag-washington-commanders","tag-washingtoncommanders"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116040126353725715","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=739978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/739979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=739978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=739978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=739978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}