INDIANAPOLIS – Zaire Franklin is the NFL’s second-leading tackler this year, and the Colts linebacker isn’t afraid to let his opponents hear about it. He chirps after every play and even called himself “The King Slayer” following a big stop on future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry in Week 5.
“One-on-one in the hole with supposedly the best running back in the league, and I won,” Franklin said after Indianapolis beat Tennessee. “So, what that make me?”
It makes Franklin one of the most impactful members of the Colts, but his impact stretches far beyond the field and into the community. Franklin has another side to him, absent the trash talk, and his willingness to give back is why the Colts announced Tuesday that they’ve nominated him for the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
The annual award recognizes an NFL player’s excellence on the field and in the community, and whether it’s in his hometown of Philadelphia or in his new home of Indianapolis, Franklin has emerged as a consistent beacon of hope.
Through his foundation, which is named Shelice’s Angels in honor of his late mother, Franklin has organized several workshops, seminars and field trips that are focused on uplifting and empowering young women in Philly. Franklin’s generosity has carried over to Indy in a variety of ways, including financial literacy classes – one of which was held at Lucas Oil Stadium – as well as a Thanksgiving event he hosted last month in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis.
“Honestly, for me, I haven’t done a football camp,” Franklin said in October after signing autographs at a fundraising event for Shelice’s Angels at Hoagies & Hops in Indianapolis. “I got friends and homies, everybody do football camps and I support them. … But for me personally, I just want to impact the community further than football, further than sports. I try to teach (the youth) that you can be millionaires in a million different ways.”
Each Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee will receive up to $55,000, and the winner will be awarded $250,000 to donate to a charity of their choice. Franklin and the 31 other nominees from NFL teams will find out who this year’s winner is during the NFL Honors show Feb. 8. Colts legend Peyton Manning won the award in 2005, and fellow Hall of Fame QB Johnny Unitas took home the honor in 1970 when the franchise was still in Baltimore.
“I really want Shelice’s Angels to be something that lives beyond me, that grows beyond my playing days and beyond my influence,” Franklin said. “I want it to be something that stands alone and continues to be a pillar in the community in any way it can. When I first started, it was really just based on trying to help young women. Now we’ve kind of grown … and hopefully five years from now we’ll open another chapter.”
2023-12-06 00:30:00
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