Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman has been named as one of the three finalists for the 2011 Walter Payton Man of the Year award that's handed out by the NFL annually. The team announced his selection on its official Twitter feed. The award was re-named after the legendary Bears running back in 1999 after being established all the way back in 1970.
The league describes the award thusly:
The prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is unique among NFL honors. It is the only award that recognizes a player for outstanding community service activities as well as for excellence on the field.
Every year, each of the 32 NFL teams recognizes a single player to be nominated for the award. Three finalists are then selected from that group of players by a committee that includes names such as commissioner Roger Goodell, former commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Sports Illustrated writer Peter King.
Last year, safety Madieu Williams of the Minnesota Vikings won the award, and offensive guard Brian Waters of the Kansas City Chiefs took home the honor the year before that.
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