A deserving nominee for the Vikings
Today is the day that all 32 NFL teams announce their nominees for the annual Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and this year’s nominee for the Minnesota Vikings is a very deserving one.
The team has nominated fullback C.J. Ham for this year’s honor, for which he will be recognized during Super Bowl week in New Orleans. The winner of this year’s award will be announced during the NFL Honors ceremony the Thursday before the Super Bowl.
Ham and his wife, Stephanie, have gotten involved with numerous outstanding causes around the Twin Cities area and throughout the state of Minnesota. Here are just a few examples.
- The Ham family launched the Ham Scholarship Fund near his hometown of Duluth, to encourage and support diverse students pursing high education while also aiming to improve BIPOC retention and graduation rates through financial support.
- After C.J.’s mother passed away following a battle with pancreatic cancer in 2021, C.J. and Stephanie started the annual Pamper Her Purple event, focused entirely on uplifting women who have battled or are currently battling cancer. During Crucial Catch month this year, C.J. and Stephanie hosted 15 women for their fourth annual Pamper Her Purple event, treating them to a day of pampering followed by dinner at the Viking Lakes Omni Hotel.
- This past October, Ham led his fellow running backs in a “reverse trick-or-treat” event at Children’s Minnesota Hospital. He also participated in the Vikings Crucial Catch Youth Football Clinic, leading kids ages 6-18 who have been impacted by cancer personally, or have siblings, friends, or parents who currently have or have previously had cancer, through football drills at TCO Stadium.
Ham will wear a decal on his helmet denoting this honor for the rest of the season. He will also receive up to $55,000 and could receive a donation of up to $265,000 to the charity of his choice courtesy of the NFL Foundation and the Nationwide Foundation.
Fans are encouraged to participate in the annual Nationwide Charity Challenge, where they can vote for their favorite nominee by either using the hashtag #WPMOYChallenge and the player’s name and handle on Twitter/X (which would be @cjham28) or by going directly to NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. The nominee who receives the most mentions and online votes will receive an extra $35,000 for the charity of their choice, with the runner-up receiving $10,000 and the third-place finisher receiving $5,000. Voting starts today and runs through 6 January.
Congratulations to C.J. Ham on being the Minnesota Vikings’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and here’s hoping Ham can. . .yeah, I’m gonna say it. . .bring home the bacon.
