From tough childhood to giving back, Graham is nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year

Bears tight end Jimmy Graham knew something was up when head coach Matt Nagy kept asking him about his charitable work.

Graham said he was with teammates outside the Walter Payton Center at Halas Hall when he learned he was the nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

“For me, it was kind of a surreal moment, because I do a lot of stuff private,” Graham said. “I was always wondering why coach kept asking me about all the things I had done in the offseason and that I've done these last few years.”

The honor is awarded to one player every year for his volunteer or charity work. The 34-year-old Graham is in his first season with the Bears, signing when the COVID-19 pandemic began in March.

Graham began researching area charities. Shortly after joining the Bears, he gave a six-figure donation to Ignite, a local organization that works with at-risk youths in Chicago.

Graham also has The Jimmy Graham Foundation, working with veterans and underprivileged youths.

The 11-year NFL veteran can relate to at-risk youths. Graham grew up in North Carolina, and when he was 11 years old his mother placed him in a group home, signing him over to the state.

“It used to be an orphanage that was turned into basically a state-run facility for a lot of juveniles,” Graham said Friday. “So I was one of the very few orphans in there with a lot of kids with a lot of issues. So (it was) certainly difficult.”

He remained at the facility about a year before bouncing around “from here to there.” He was eventually adopted by a 25-year-old single mother, Becky Vinson, when he was 14. Once he had a permanent home, Graham found more success on the basketball court and in school. It led to a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Miami.

Graham played for Miami coach Frank Haith from 2005 to 2009. He stayed on campus one more year to play tight end for the football team during the 2009 season.

Graham never forgot those rough years of his youth. His time in the NFL has given him the means to give back.

“That's one of the main reasons I came (to Chicago) — first community and second the fans,” he said. “To play in front of the fans and to really be involved in the inner-city and tell my story and reach out to these kids and speak on what I've been through.”

Even with limitations due to the pandemic, Graham has been speaking with children in the community through events held over Zoom. He said he likes to focus on the type of mentality needed to overcome life's obstacles.

Nagy said he never knew Graham well until this season. He had heard from Bears general manager Ryan Pace, who worked with Graham when both were with the New Orleans Saints, about the type of person Graham is.

“When you have a leader like that on your team that's been through a lot as a human being from the time he was a little kid to where he's at now, it's important for him to let other people know his story and give back,” Nagy said.

“The players on our team see that, they respect that.”

The Man of the Year winner will be announced during the week leading up to the Super Bowl in February. Each NFL team has a nominee.

The last Bears player to win the award was cornerback Charles Tillman in 2013.

“The 32 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees remind us that even in the face of adversity, players continue to raise awareness and use their voice and platform to positively impact their communities,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.