CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Greg Olsen is one of the stars on the Carolina Panthers, but many in the Charlotte community know him for the work he does off the field.
In December, the star tight end was one of 32 players -- one from each team -- nominated for NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The award recognizes an NFL player for "outstanding community service activities off the field as well as excellence on the field," according to the league's website.
The Greg Olsen Foundation announced a partnership with Carolinas HealthCare System's Levine Children's Hospital to create the region's first cardiac neurodevelopmental program back in November.
His foundation pledged $750,000 to help kickstart the program.
On the field, Olsen finished the 2017 regular season with 191 receiving yards on 17 catches and scored a touchdown in seven games. He underwent surgery in September 2017 on a broken foot and missed a total of nine games in the regular season.
This is the third time Olsen has been nominated for the award. Panthers linebacker and teammate Thomas Davis won the award in 2014.
