With Lavonte David and Will Gholston going back 10 years on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster, David announcing Gholston as the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award seemed only fitting.
The award recognizes a player for his philanthropy, community service and achievements on the field. Each NFL team has a nominee, and the league announces the winner before the Super Bowl.
“Very deserving guy, great guy, been part of this team for a very long time, [and] has been doing a lot of great work in the community,” David told the team on Tuesday, December 6. “Great man on the field and off the field.”
Teammates for 10 seasons, Lavonte David surprised @WILL_GHOLSTON2 with his nomination for Walter Payton Man of the Year ♥️
“To be nominated as the Walter Payton Man of the Year means the world to me,” Gholston said via a new release according to 10 Tampa Bay. “This award is bigger than football, so I’m honored to be in the same conversation as other great players around the league making a difference in their communities.”
Gholston’s off-field work includes financial support of cancer research through the Moffitt Cancer Center’s George Edgecomb Society. He also donates thousands of Thanksgiving meals annually in Tampa and his hometown city of Detroit. In addition, he participates in numerous Bucs-sponsored community outreaches, Buccaneers.com’s Brianna Dix.
On the field, Gholston has been a key part of the Bucs defensive front for years. He has 31 tackles this season. For his career, he has 383 tackles, 19.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles in his 10-year career.
“Appreciate the opportunity,” Gholston told the team via the Bucs’ video. “Thank you for looking at me like that as far as doing the community stuff. Hopefully it rubs off on you guys. I know you all great men, and thank you for the opportunity.”
‘Most Important Award Every Year’
Gholston became the first defensive tackle since former Bucs’ standout Gerald McCoy to receive the nomination. Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans won it the past three years.
McCoy, who received it in 2018, gave a shout out to Gholston on social media.
“Most important award every year,” McCoy tweeted to Gholston.
David concurred in a news release from the Bucs.
“The platform that we have been given, Will has taken advantage of that,” Lavonte David said in the Bucs’ news release. “That is what his legacy will be stamped as, just a guy who gave back and who used his gifts that God gave him to be able to pour his heart back out into the community.”
Gholston, David Go a Ways Back With Bucs
David and Gholston endured nearly a decade of struggles together for the Bucs took off in the Tom Brady era.
David joined the team as a draft pick in 2012, a year before Gholston entered the league. The Bucs drafted Gholston in 2013 with a fourth-round pick from Michigan State, and he became a regular starter in his second season in 2014 with nine starts.
“A guy that comes in everyday, does the right thing and does it at a high level,” Bucs defensive tackle Rakeem Nuñez-Roches said about Gholston via the team’s news release. “[He] is the definition of a leader.”
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Buccaneers Starter Reacts to Major Award