Pittsburgh Steelers DL Larry Ogunjobi was nominated for the team’s 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year earlier this week. Ogunjobi appeared on The Insiders on NFL Network Friday night and had the chance to reflect on his nomination. It comes one season after his defensive line partner Cameron Heyward won the award, and Ogunjobi talked about how important it is for him to give back and impact lives.
“I think it’s humbling to even be nominated, to follow in Cam’s footsteps. But being able to impact lives and give in a way that’s so big is very important. Coming from an immigrant family, I think that a lot of times, you don’t understand your impact. And me being introduced to football and everything that football has done for me in my life, it’d feel wrong not to be able to give back.”
Ogunjobi said that growing up, his family didn’t have much, but they always gave back, and that attitude followed him during his time in the NFL.
Heyward won for his work with his Heyward House foundation, and Ogunjobi has spread his time around and been active with various charities throughout his NFL career. He’s worked with various food banks, Lighthouse Youth Services for underprivileged youth, and Waterboys, an organization that provides clean drinking water for one million people worldwide.
It’s awesome that Ogunjobi was nominated. He’s one of the more understated Steelers, someone who doesn’t get a lot of attention but has done his job on the field while making the world a better place off the field. If he wins this season, he’ll be the third current Steeler to have the title of Walter Payton Man of the Year. In addition to Heyward last year, QB Russell Wilson was bestowed the honor in 2020.
Larry Ogunjobi will be given $55,000 for a charity of his choosing after being nominated, and that money will surely help him give back in a big way and make an impact. For someone who didn’t start playing football until high school, it’s understandable that Ogunjobi might not have understood his impact and that he could be someone that others look up to. With his charitable ways and work with various organizations to give back, Ogunjobi has proven to be a worthy role model and someone people can look up to beyond just being a good football player.
