ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Detroit Lions quarterback Joey Harrington is a finalist for the 40th Annual Byron “Whizzer” White Award which honors National Football League players who exemplify leadership, dedication and commitment to team and community. Harrington is one of 10 finalists for the prestigious award.
The award is named after former U.S. Supreme Court Justice and NFL back Byron “Whizzer” White. He was a college All-American at Colorado before going to the NFL to play for Pittsburgh (1938) and Detroit (1940-41). He died in 2002 at the age of 84.
The NFL Players Association and PLAYERS INC, in partnership with James Brown, formerly of Fox Television, will present the award at the NFL Players Gridiron Gala, in Washington, DC, in April. The annual “JB Awards” also will be presented at the event.
Harrington was the Lions’ 2005 Robert Porcher Man of the Year Award recipient for his significant involvement in the community. He helped spearhead the Lions’ support of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as well as being active with several Detroit area charities including CATCH, Gleaners Community Food Bank, Catholic Youth Organizations and Special Olympics of Michigan.
His Harrington Family Foundation focuses on programs that promote education, safety and welfare of children. Children’s Hospital of Michigan was a recipient last year of a donation from the foundation to its Pediatric Cardiology program.
“Joey truly understands the big-picture commitment of an NFL player,” said Tim Pendell, Lions’ senior director of community affairs. “He continually steps up to help in the community in many, many ways.”
Harrington is joined by nine other outstanding NFL player-citizens as finalists for the award. The others are: Willie Anderson (Bengals), Warrick Dunn (Falcons), Torry Holt (Rams), Kevin Mawae (Jets), Steve McNair (Titans), Shelton Quarles (Bucs), Amani Toomer (Giants), Roy Williams (Cowboys) and Kurt Warner (Cardinals).
The NFL Players Gridiron Gala will be held at the Washington (DC) Hilton on April 18. Proceeds from the Gala will benefit Special Olympics DC.
After two years of talks, discussions and proposals, the negotiation of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the league and the NFL Players Association went into overtime. At the end of the day, the new CBA wasn’t about the players and it wasn’t about the owners. It was about the game and it was about the fans.
After the owners agreed to the new deal with a 30-2 vote, Commissioner Tagliabue addressed the importance (link to transcripts on NFL.com) and impact the new CBA will have on the future of the NFL.
Commissioner Tagliabue: “I think it is important. Time will tell how important it is, but it was certainly an opportunity to continue building what we’ve been building. I think it’s great for the fans. I think the quality of the game is at a tremendous level. The spread of talent around the league, the ability of teams to become competitive relatively quickly and to do what Marvin Lewis has done and what other coaches have done, it’s a great thing. This preserves all of that.
“It continues with the elements that we have with the Players Association on the shared cost of constructing new stadiums. It continues a lot of our initiatives, Youth Football and other areas. So I think it’s a very positive thing for the fans and the league generally even though it’s a stretch from a financial standpoint for many, many teams in terms of the cost.”
Tagliabue pointed out the work that was invested by the owners and how the league, collectively, came together to finalize this process.
After the owners agreed to the new deal with a 30-2 vote, Commissioner Tagliabue addressed the importance (link to transcripts on NFL.com) and impact the new CBA will have on the future of the NFL.
Commissioner Tagliabue: “I think it is important. Time will tell how important it is, but it was certainly an opportunity to continue building what we’ve been building. I think it’s great for the fans. I think the quality of the game is at a tremendous level. The spread of talent around the league, the ability of teams to become competitive relatively quickly and to do what Marvin Lewis has done and what other coaches have done, it’s a great thing. This preserves all of that.
“It continues with the elements that we have with the Players Association on the shared cost of constructing new stadiums. It continues a lot of our initiatives, Youth Football and other areas. So I think it’s a very positive thing for the fans and the league generally even though it’s a stretch from a financial standpoint for many, many teams in terms of the cost.”
Tagliabue pointed out the work that was invested by the owners and how the league, collectively, came together to finalize this process.
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