By Lisa Zimmerman, Player Engagement Insider
Matt Ryan has had quite a season. As the Atlanta Falcons quarterback leads his team into the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers, he is one of the leading contenders for the NFL’s 2016 MVP award and has now also been nominated for the 2016 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
Since he arrived in Atlanta in 2008 as the team’s first-round Draft pick out of Boston College (third overall) the Exton, Pennsylvania native has made it a priority to give back to the community as much as he can.
Ryan’s main focus has been on Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where he gives of both his time and his money. His relationship with the hospital started almost as soon as he arrived in Atlanta. He began by making regular visits, but things quickly evolved and grew. He launched a golf outing and a dinner, and over the past six years, those two events– the Matt Ryan Celebrity-Am Golf Tournament and the Matt Ryan “Dinner for Two with #2” – have raised more than $1,000,000.
“When you go into a hospital and you see kids that are sick it’s hard not to want to help,” Ryan said. “For me it was, how can I help, put a smile on their face to start with? Then it was, I’ve been doing these visits for a while and I understand CHOA, the people they’re really good people. Then it became about how I can help raise funds to give doctors and nurses the best resources possible.”
Ryan spends time not only with the children, but with their families, offering his support in any way he can and those relationships have meant a lot to him.
“There have been so many different families,” he said. “The kids have such positive outlook all the time whether they’re really sick or on the mend. The hard thing sometimes too is the parents. Sometimes it’s putting a smile on the kid’s face and sometimes it’s the parents. You get touched by everybody.”
Ryan also works with other charitable and community organizations as well. He participates in the NFL’s matching grant program, which helps local schools, and has partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to grant wishes to children who want to meet the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
Ryan’s efforts have made an impact on those in the community and those in the Falcons organization.
“Matt has set the tone for our team in many ways; as a leader in the locker room, on the field and in our community,” Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said following Ryan’s nomination. “He helps us be the best team that we can be.”
Upon hearing he had been nominated, Ryan expressed his gratitude at being recognized.
“This really means a lot; to be compared to someone like Walter Payton, because of what he stood for and what kind of person he was both on and off the field. And also, to be grouped with the great list of players and men that have won in the past. I’m very proud of the impact we’ve made on the community here in Atlanta, I’m very proud of what I’ve done on the field and it is an honor to even be considered for this recognition.”
Lisa Zimmerman is a long-time NFL writer and reporter. She was the Jets correspondent for CBSSports.com, SportsNet New York’s TheJetsBlog.com and Sirius NFL Radio. She has also written for NFL.com.