Over the past few seasons, as the Las Vegas Raiders have struggled on the field, the one consistent bright spot throughout it all has been defensive end Maxx Crosby. Firmly cementing himself as one of the premier defensive players in the NFL, Crosby has continued to thrive every season, despite not often having much help alongside him.
Crosby is the leader and face of this Raiders franchise, and that isn’t only on the field, but also extends off of it. Crosby has long been a dedicated community leader, working tirelessly in Oakland and Las Vegas, and he is once again being recognized for his efforts.
The nominees for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award have been announced, with each NFL team getting one nominee. And for the Raiders, it is Crosby who has been nominated, via Marcus Johnson of Yahoo Sports:
With his stellar performance on the gridiron, Crosby‘s work off the field is being recognized as well. He is this year’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year, which honors players who do great work throughout their local communities.
This is the fourth consecutive year Crosby has been nominated for the award by the Raiders, although he has yet actually to win it. In fact, only one Raiders player has ever won the award, which was quarterback George Blanda in 1974 when the award was simply called the NFL Man of the Year.
Previous winners include the likes of Roger Staubach, Lynn Swann, Larry Fitzgerald, John Elway, Derrick Thomas, LaDainian Tomlinson and JJ Watt. Last season, Arik Armstead of the Jacksonville Jaguars took home the award. Other nominees this year include Derrick Henry, Travis Kelce, Jordan Love and Baker Mayfield.
Crosby has done a lot of work through the Maxx Crosby foundation, which was founded in 2023 alongside his wife, Rachel. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting teen substance abuse intervention, youth health and wellness, animal rescue, and abuse prevention.
As far as his on-field production, Crosby has continued to be a force for the Raiders. His 59 tackles are the second-most among any player with at least eight sacks, and his 23 tackles for loss also rank second in the NFL. Crosby continues to be a true definition of a leader on and off the field, and perhaps he will finally bring home this hardware.
Justin Herbert addresses late-game incident with Raiders’ Maxx Crosby
Late in the Raiders’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Crosby drew an unsportsmanlike penalty after shoving quarterback Justin Herbert to the ground. But afterwards, Herbert didn’t make much of the incident, charging it up to emotions getting the better of both of them.
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