HOUSTON – Jalen Pitre is the Texans’ nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.
The award recognizes players who excel on and off the field through their involvement in the community.
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Pitre is passionate about rolling up his sleeves in his hometown. The Stafford graduate is an advocate for Kids’ Meals Inc., a local nonprofit organization that delivers free, healthy meals to children in need to try to end the widespread problem of childhood hunger. He launched with them a “Feed 5 More” campaign through $5 crowd-sourced donations in a goal to raise enough money to feed 55,555 kids.
“Jalen Pitre is a shining example of an exceptional leader on and off the field,” Texans principal owner Cal McNair said. “As a hometown player, we’re so proud of the impact he’s had in our community and look forward to his continued commitment to H-Town for many years to come. Jalen is incredibly deserving of this honor and we know how much this means to him.”
Pitre is a sponsor in the Texans’ annual Community Huddle ticket program, which gives people who may not otherwise have a chance to attend an NFL game the opportunity to have a unique and special gameday experience. Every home game, the Stafford Cobras, the youth football team Pitre played on growing up, are treated to tickets, food vouchers and parking passes thanks to his generosity.
“My parents always taught me that if anyone was in need and we had the means that we should lend a helping hand,” Pitre said. “I’m blessed to be in this position now, and it’s my duty to help and shed light on others who need it. I have a ton of gratitude and appreciation that I was chosen as a nominee for this award. I hope I can continue to inspire and encourage people to help others as much as they can.”
#Texans Jalen Pitre @JalenPitre1 surprises the youth football team he grew up playing for, Stafford Cobras, at their final practice of the season. As part of the team's Community Huddle Ticket Program, the league is treated to tickets, food vouchers and parking passes to every… pic.twitter.com/ZdIgS5MdJK
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 20, 2024
Each of the league’s 32 nominees will receive up to a $55,000 donation in their name to a charity of their choice courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide Foundation. The 2024 winner will receive up to $265,000 and will be announced during NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb. 6. As a nominee, Pitre will wear a special Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field.
Pitre is currently sidelined with a partially torn pectoral, per league sources, and is out indefinitely. Whether he’ll play again this season is in doubt as he could undergo surgery and be placed on injured reserve.
Pitre recently surprised the youth football team he grew up playing for, the Stafford Cobras, Tuesday night by visiting them and their cheerleaders for their final practice of the season and providing dinner from Trill Burgers. It was a full-circle moment for Pitre, a hard-hitting former second-round draft pick who played high school football on this field before accepting a scholarship to Baylor where he was named the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
“Its fun, man,” Pitre said. “This is home. It’s just to come out and see more football, see the next generation, just coming out here having fun with them. It’s always fun just to be around all these kids because it’s just so simple and it’s so much joy.”
Pitre was with the Cobras one night after delivering some big hits in a win over the Dallas Cowboys, including a forced fumble that was returned by defensive end Derek Barnett for a touchdown.
“They’re always asking about the previous game, any big plays that happen and then sometimes there will be a couple of ‘Why we lost to this team, why this happened, why didn’t you do this?’” Pitre said. “It’s always fun because they give you the truth. It’s no ins and outs with them. They’re going to go straight to it. They were talking about the big hits, the fumble recovery by DB, that was probably the biggest thing.”
As part of the Texans’ Community Huddle ticket program, the league is treated to tickets, food vouchers and parking passes to every home game at NRG Stadium courtesy of Pitre.
“A lot of memories, a lot of memories of me and my dad. I spent a lot of time out on this field, a lot of work,” Pitre said. “Just to see how far it has taken me is really crazy to just even think about. I’m forever thankful for all those memories. It’s definitely emotional. I haven’t shed any tears or anything like that, but it’s crazy just to be out here and just to see why I came from. There’s some dawgs out here.”
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 click2houston.com.
