Veteran linebacker Lorenzo Alexander is a leader on the playing field, earning the right to don the game-day “C” on his jersey each week as one of the captains of the Buffalo Bills.
Alexander’s charitable efforts, along with his outstanding play on the field, earned him recognition as Buffalo’s nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year honor, which is awarded to an NFL player who demonstrates a commitment to community service activities off the field while playing at a high level on the field. It’s the second year in a row Alexander has been honored.
Alexander, a 12th-year veteran out of the University of California, is one of the most respected leaders in the Bills’ locker room. He has appeared in all 12 games (four starts), amassing 46 tackles (36 solo, 10 assisted) with 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for a loss. He has also forced and recovered one fumble and has one interception with seven pass breakups.
Off the field, Alexander founded the ACES foundation, which promotes a healthy mind and body through sports while supporting accountability, education, and community mindedness in youth. He’s very active in the local community, and raised money for the Make LemonAide Foundation for cerebral palsy with 26Shirts. Alexander also has been involved as a mentor to the members of the South Park High School football program in Buffalo.
Alexander, who last year was Buffalo’s nominee for the annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, is up against 31 other team nominees for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The winner will be announced Feb. 2 at the NFL Honors celebration on the eve of Super Bowl XLIII in Atlanta, Ga.
The winner will have a $500,000 donation made on his behalf to Character Playbook, the NFL and United Way’s digital character education program. The winner will also get to designate $250,000 towards the charity of his choice, while the runners-up will have a $50,000 donation made in their names to Character Playbook and a donation of up to $50,000 made to their preferred charity.