Browns defensive end Myles Garrett wins team's Walter Payton Man of the Year award

When NFL teams announced their 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year award winners Thursdays, the Cleveland Browns made an interesting choice: defensive end Myles Garrett.

The award recognizes players for “their performance on the field and their dedication to the community.”

On the field, Garrett is one of the most effective pass rushers in football, tying for third in the league with 10.5 sacks and second in the league with four forced fumbles.

In the community, his list of accomplishments is even longer.

Garrett works with Waterboys, a charity that aims to bring clean water to East Africa. He visited Tanzania for two weeks in 2020 to help install wells.

He is active in social justice efforts, reaching out and making donations to the families of victims of police brutality. He also joined with Cleveland Hope Exchange to donate food to those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

To Steelers fans, he is perhaps best known for removing Mason Rudolph’s helmet in a skirmish during a 2019 game and hitting the quarterback in the head with it. He was suspended for six games. Garrett later alleged that Rudolph used a racial slur to incite the incident, a claim that Rudolph and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin denied.

“It is an honor to be named the Walter Payton Man of the Year for my team,” Garrett said in a Browns press release. “It is of incredible significance just to be honored and have that kind of recognition because Sweetness was a hell of a man and a hell of a football player. He has been recognized and gone down in history for his off of the field passions and what he did for people in his community and all across the world. I would like to keep that going. He is one of my favorite running backs, as well as players. To be in the same sentence as him and the same breath is an honor in itself.”

Here is a list of all 32 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winners:

Arizona: Corey Peters

Atlanta: Steven Means

Baltimore: Bradley Bozeman

Buffalo: Harrison Phillips

Carolina: Shaq Thompson

Chicago: Jimmy Graham

Cincinnati: Geno Atkins

Cleveland: Myles Garrett

Dallas: Jaylon Smith

Denver: Justin Simmons

Detroit: Trey Flowers

Green Bay: Corey Linsley

Houston: Michael Thomas

Indianapolis: Jacoby Brissett

Jacksonville: Josh Lambo

Kansas City: Travis Kelce

Las Vegas: Alec Ingold

Los Angeles Chargers: Isaac Rochell

Los Angeles Rams: Andrew Whitworth

Miami: Byron Jones

Minnesota: Eric Kendricks

New England: Devin McCourty

New Orleans: Demario Davis

New York Giants: Dalvin Tomlinson

New York Jets: Pierre Desir

Philadelphia: Rodney McLeod

Pittsburgh: Vance McDonald

San Francisco: Arik Armstead

Seattle: Russell Wilson

Tampa Bay: Mike Evans

Tennessee: Kevin Byard

Washington: Jonathan Allen