Adam Thielen selected as Vikings’ 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee

Very deserving of the honor

It’s the time of year where teams around the NFL put forth the names of their nominees for the annual Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, and the Minnesota Vikings have nominated a player that is very worthy of that honor.

The nominees have been announced, and your nominee for the Minnesota Vikings is wide receiver Adam Thielen.

The Vikings have put together an extensive list of all of the charitable endeavors that Adam and his wife, Caitlin, are involved in, not the least of which is the Adam Thielen Foundation. The Thielen Foundation has donated over $2.5 million to local charitable organizations, including a $1 million pledge that was split between eight local non-profits.

The team has released a statement in conjunction with Thielen’s nomination:

“Adam and Caitlin’s commitment and willingness to give back and serve Minnesotans through the Thielen Foundation is truly inspiring,” said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. “We are proud of Adam for the impact he has made on the community, and he is the best representation of what the Minnesota Vikings should stand for. We cannot thank him enough for his commitment to the organization, to the Twin Cities and to the entire state of Minnesota. He’s extremely deserving to be our 2022 nominee for this impressive honor.”

There’s a way that we, as fans, can help the Thielen Foundation through social media. If you’re on Twitter, you can either use Adam Thielen’s name or his Twitter handle (@athielen19) in conjunction with the hashtag #WPMOYChallenge in order to promote his cause. The top three players mentioned on Twitter with that hashtag will get donations to their charitable foundations from the NFL. The top finisher gets $25,000, while the second and third-place finishers receive $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.

We managed to push Kyle Rudolph’s nomination to the top of that list a couple of years ago, and hopefully we can do the same with Adam Thielen this year. So, if you’re willing and able, let’s see if we can’t make it happen.