New England Patriots' Jonathan Jones on Being Named Walter Payton 'Man of the Year' Finalist

What does it mean to be a Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee? Since we’re talking about an award handed out annually by the NFL, one would automatically assume that “Man of the Year” is specifically in regards to your on-the-field performance. While your stat sheet does play somewhat of a role as far as nominations go, the majority of what’s considered by the NFL criteria-wise is a player's philanthropy and community impact. Established in 1970 and previously known simply as the “Man of the Year Award,” the reward is regarded as not just one of the most prestigious honors in the NFL, but within the entirety of sports as a whole. While you’ve seen plenty of New England Patriots’ cornerback Jonathan Jones on the field over the years, what you haven’t really been seeing is his philanthropic work and charitable efforts behind the scenes—something Jones has been committed to since before he ever set foot on an NFL field.

"Charity started for me from the time I was young," Jones tells ONE37pm, adding: "I remember my best friend's mom would make us hand out bags to the local soup kitchen before we could do anything else. We would go around the community and deliver to the doors of people who couldn't actually make it into a soup kitchen physically. That continued throughout high school, and since I've gotten to the NFL, I've been able to use the platform I've been blessed with to give back."

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While Jones doesn’t look for awards or a round of applause regarding his charity work, the 30-year-old recently found out that he is indeed a finalist for the highly coveted Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award—something he calls an honor. "It's truly an honor," he shares: "It just goes to show that people recognize some of the work we've been doing. I say 'we' because it's not just myself, there's a lot of other people that help me when it comes to bringing my ideas in the community to fruition. It's truly been an honor because the team selects one person to represent them. I know I'm not just representing myself, but also my family, team, the community, and the fans that support me."

The work Jones has been doing to help the community has been extensive over the years—so I break it down one-by-one to get a better idea of what all he's been involved in. We start with STEM as Jones has actively promoted STEM education and robotics by partnering with iROBOT, SCORE, and the Players Coalition to introduce STEM education. This partnership specifically includes a robotics lab at Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy's Lower Mills Campus.

"STEM is near and dear to my heart," Jones explains, adding: "Engineering was my focus during high school—I kind of got away from that doing football, but having the ability to get back into it and promoting coding and things of that nature is great. The future is technology, and getting kids acclimated to that a young age is the right thing to do. We work with SCORE on some robotic initiatives out in Boston, we put together a STEM project at Lower Mills School and the kids really enjoyed it—we're really trying to reach people through that because I believe technology is our future."

As the great Whitney Houston once said—"I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way." Jones is certainly putting those steps in motion not just with his STEM outreach, but also through other programs such as My Cause My Cleats and his Turkey Flag Football partnership. This year, Jones actively participated in the "My Cause My Cleats" initiative as part of the leagues player cause platform, partnering with Visa to raise funds and awareness for specific social issues in his college hometown, showcasing the positive impact players make in their communities.

"For the second year in a row I was able to do work with Play Like a Girl, which is a unique organizations on youth female empowerment. They do a lot more than just sports—I was a personal ambassador for the program and it's a fun opportunity for me as I have a daughter that plays basketball and gymnastics right now. We also teach the girls basic life skills such as learning how to change a tire and things of that nature."

Up next is the Turkey Flag Football Partnership, where Jones' Next Step Foundation joined forces with the Blue Hills Boys and Girls Club for the annual Turkey Flag Football Tournament, which promotes community engagement along with supporting youth education and empowerment."It's our second year doing this event as well," explains Jones. "The kids get to come in and play flag football and then we feed them after—they really enjoy it. With it being cold we have to do the event indoors, but they still love it."

And finally, we get to the distinguished Ron Burton Community Service Award, which Jones was recently awarded for demonstrating outstanding commitment to giving back to the community through initiatives supporting education, mentorship, and character development. I next ask Jones what it felt to receive that honor. "It was another honor—just what Ron Burton himself meant and how his family is trying to carry on his legacy. Once Ron retired, he basically put all his money into building this training village for the youth, and there's various programs for the kids to get into. They also have an aviation program which is something I'm going to be a part of the summer."

Wait, an aviation program? Does that mean Mr. Jonathan Jones is into aviation himself? Indeed he is, as Jones received his pilot license back in July 2023. "Flying is something that I really like to do. I love the middle ground between the information that comes with flying, and how it combines with the hand-eye coordination of sports. I don't know if I will be a pilot for sure, but I know I will always be in aviation, and I want to incorporate that into our programs to get Black and Brown kids involved in flying because there aren't a lot Black and Brown pilots out there. Kids will see it first hand and know that it's possible."

After Jones explains to me the physics of how small planes are actually safer than bigger planes despite what people say (big things fall harder is what he tells me), in comes the obligatory football question about what the NFL star wants to accomplish next season. Calling this past season "one of his tougher ones," Jones says he's looking forward to next year. "Honestly—this was one of my tougher seasons, but it was a good life lesson that not everything is always going to go your way. It's not always going to be championships, and that translates into life giving you obstacles sometimes," he says.

And along the way, charity will always be what Jones leads with. "I want to reach out to more people, more communities, and help more people. My ultimate goal is for kids to come back when they are into their careers and say they've made it to where they are because of the Jonathan Jones foundation."

You can keep up with Jonathan Jones via Instagram.

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