Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long has been named the NFLPA's Community MVP for the 2017 season. The players association announced the win on Thursday evening via its official Twitter account.
Congratulations to @JOEL9ONE for winning the NFLPA Byron "Whizzer" White #CommunityMVP Award. The award was voted on by the players of the National Football League and was presented by Delta Private Jets. pic.twitter.com/8HOfQyCd5m
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) February 1, 2018
According to the NFLPA's website, "The NFLPA Community MVP program recognizes NFL players who are making a positive impact in their local communities. Each week during the regular season, the NFLPA will celebrate one active NFL player who has demonstrated a commitment to giving back to his community. The NFLPA will make a $10,000 contribution to the player's foundation or charity of choice as well as an in-kind donation by Delta Private Jets to the player for being named the NFLPA Community MVP. All players nominated for the week will be celebrated the following Monday.
Starting this year, the weekly Community MVP winners will also become eligible for the annual Byron "Whizzer" White (BWW) Award, which was established in 1967 and is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player. The BWW Award winner, which will be announced in April, receives an additional $100,000 for his foundation or charity of choice."
Long was chosen from a group of five finalists that also included former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller.
Long was named Community MVP for Week 3 for "donating six game checks to fund scholarships at his Charlottesville alma mater." He eventually donated all 16 of his game checks to charity, with the first six going to the aforementioned college fund and the final 10 going to a foundation he created to increase educational equality: the Pledge 10 for Tomorrow campaign.
"In my 10th year, I want to celebrate the awesome opportunity I've had to play football by giving back to the communities that have given me that gift," Long said in an October statement. "Educational opportunity and equity are the best gateway to a better tomorrow for everyone in America."
"My wife and I have been passionate about education being a gateway for upward mobility and equality," he told The Associated Press. "I think we can all agree that equity in education can help affect change that we all want to see in this country."
