Jonathan Allen celebrates Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination with incredible gesture

What more can be said about Jonathan Allen? The Washington Football Team defensive tackle is playing at an All-Pro level and is one of the few players on the roster that have been dynamite from the very first week of the season.

In 12 games, Allen has managed 38 tackles (eight for loss), 6.5 sacks, 23 QB hits, 28 hurries, 46 pressures and 24 run stops.

Those are fantastic numbers, though they somehow don’t fully encapsulate Allen’s impact on the gridiron, as there are countless instances in games where he does something, whether it be clearing out a hole or commanding a double team, that frees up one of his fellow defensive linemen to make a play.

However, enough about Allen’s impact on the field, because he’s once again proving why he’s a legitimately upstanding individual.

On Tuesday, the 26-year-old was nominated as Washington’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for the second year in a row.

Washington Football team DT Jonathan Allen is the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for 2021.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award recognizes a player’s excellence off the field and is widely considered the NFL’s most distinguished honor. Every year, each team nominates one player who’s made a pronounced impact on his community. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson was the recipient of last year’s hardware.

Allen spent part of his childhood in the foster care system and he’s doing everything in his power to help foster children find safe homes. The fifth-year pro and his wife, Hannah, do incredible work with the Sasha Bruce Youthworks, a non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of homeless and runaway youth in the DC region.

The 32 nominees receive a $40,000 donation to the charity of their choice, with the winner earning a $250,000 contribution.

Being a champion of philanthropy, Allen didn’t wait for the league to announce the winner for committing a monster pledge to his local community. After being nominated for the award, Allen and Hannah pledged $3 million in donations to local charities (not just Sasha Bruce) over the course of his career.

"“When I first got the contract, I mean, it was truly a blessing,” Allen said after making the pledge. “I knew I was going to be able to, first and foremost, take care of my family for the rest of our lives.”“God definitely blessed me with this, so I wanted to give it back to the community and show my appreciation to God for giving me the opportunity to do that. But really just help the people that are affected most in the area, so we’re excited to be able to do it and looking forward to seeing all the good that comes out of it.”"

Just an absolutely incredible gesture from the Allen’s.

Allen is aiming to become the third player in Washington franchise history to take home the award (Joe Theismann in 1982 and Darrell Green in 1996). If he was being given serious consideration before his amazing pledge, well, he might just deserve to be leading the leading candidate.