ALLEN PARK, MICH. – Dec. 4, 2025 – The Detroit Lions announced that DL DJ Reader has been selected as their 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide. The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide is the League's most prestigious honor, recognizing players who excel on the field and demonstrate a commitment to making a positive impact beyond the game.
In his 10th season in the League and his second in Honolulu Blue, Reader has brought his passion of giving back to the community with him to Detroit. Reader's efforts span a wide variety of causes from health care access, youth empowerment and education, and food access. As a Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee with the Houston Texans in 2019 and recipient of the President's Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Service Award in 2022, Reader understands the importance of being a present part of his local community.
"The work I have been able to do has been a blessing. It means a lot to me because I spent a lot of time watching my dad do things for kids who needed it as a teacher. When you're there and you're showing your face and you're around, I think you inspire people and that's a part of our job as well, to change someone's day," said Reader. "We were once in their shoes, but it is all about the work and just never giving up. The people of Detroit are so thankful and passionate about the team, and people in the community really surround themselves with each other. My mom and dad always made sure I pour into the community that poured into me, and it's an honor to be able to give back to the people of Detroit."
A large part of his platform is his A Son Never Forgets Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting health and wellness by providing vital information, services, resources and activities designed to impact and support sustainable communities. Through his foundation, Reader holds an annual Football Skills & Drills Camp in North Carolina, provides free health screenings and wellness programs for the community, and has established six public reading rooms between North Carolina and Cincinnati. He has donated countless grants to various levels of athletic programs throughout North Carolina for new facilities, equipment and competition fees.
Reader is largely driven to serve his communities through his family values and a deep understanding of the impact of community support. In honor of his late father, David, who passed away in 2014 from kidney disease, Reader has been a long-time supporter of the National Kidney Foundation. Since 2016, he has annually granted scholarships to students from his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. through a memorial scholarship fund created in honor of his father. In 2019, he hosted the National Kidney Foundation Charity Walk in Houston, helping raise $75,000 and tripling the city's prior average total. That same year, he organized the foundation's Golf Tournament, raising more than $100,000 for kidney awareness and research.
Reader has embraced his platform as an NFL player as an opportunity to create meaningful impact in every city he has played in. Immediately after joining the Lions in 2024, Reader established himself in the community with a back-to-school drive – including handing out school supplies and providing dental screenings – and a Thanksgiving turkey drive, integrating himself within the Detroit community while celebrating the most iconic of the Detroit Lions' traditions.
All 32 club winners will be recognized for their achievements during the week leading up to Super Bowl LX in the Bay Area. The national winner of the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special airing on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Each of this year's club winners supports a range of causes and initiatives off the field, including uplifting underserved communities, empowering young people to lead healthy lifestyles and many other notable causes. The charitable beneficiary of each team's club winner will receive $40,000, and the nonprofit chosen by the overall national winner will receive $250,000. All funds are donations courtesy of the NFL Foundation and the Nationwide Foundation.
Fans are once again encouraged to participate in Nationwide's annual Charity Challenge, a social media and online contest that allows fans to show support for their favorite Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year club winner. Fans can vote on X/Twitter by posting #WPMOYChallenge along with the last name/X handle of their chosen player or by voting directly on NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. The charitable beneficiary of the player who receives the most collective hashtag mentions and online votes will win an additional $35,000 donation from Nationwide, with the nonprofit partners of the runner-up and third-place finishers receiving $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. Charity Challenge voting takes place from December 4 through January 5, 2026.
Beginning Week 14 and continuing through the end of the season, each of this year's club winners, including Detroit Lions DL DJ Reader, will wear a special Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal in recognition of their accomplishments on and off the field.
For more information about the award, please visit NFL.com/ManOfTheYear.
