Bergen's Devin McCourty Nominated For NFL's Man Of The Year Award

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Devin McCourty, an alumnus of Saint Joseph's Regional High School in Montvale, has been nominated for the National Football League's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

McCourty, a team captain and two-time Super Bowl champion, and his brother, both players for the New England Patriots, created the McCourty Twins Tackle Sickle Cell campaign. McCourty's aunt was diagnosed with the disease. He has hosted several fundraising events, including in New Jersey, in support of Boston Children's Hospital and two nonprofits that support families with the disease.

"To be great and to make change is to thrown yourself into the conversation and the active to create a better community and, ultimately, a better world," a post on the Patriots' website states. "In his years in the NFL, Devin has done exactly that, which is why he is the Patriots' [nominee]."

McCourty, a team captain, and Patriots' owner Robert Kraft wrote an op-ed piece in the Boston Globe in support of a proposed juvenile reform legislation, which became law.

He also sponsors Gifts from the Gridiron where kids are paired up with Patriots players and pick out new winter clothes.

People can show their support and vote for McCourty using the hashtag #WPMOYChallengeMcCourty on social media.

Three finalists will be announced in a few weeks. The winner will be announced before the Super Bowl.

Greg Olsen, a Wayne native, and tight end for the Carolina Panthers, was nominated for the 2017 and 2018, but lost both times.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots intercepts a pass and runs it back the length of the field for a touchdown during NFL game action against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on Oct. 29 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)