Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Rodney McLeod Named 2022 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award Winner, Ahead of Super Bowl Sunday

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

It’s been an electrifying season for pro football fans, and this year’s Super Bowl promises to be an exciting finale. But before members of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) take to the field for the big game on Sunday, the union announced the winner of this year’s NFLPA Alan Page Community Award: Rodney McLeod of the Philadelphia Eagles football team. As the NFLPA’s highest honor, the Alan Page Community Award annually recognizes one player who demonstrates a profound dedication to positively impacting his team’s city and communities across the country.

“This award is truly all about the community; and when I hear the word ‘community,’ unity, hope and love also come to mind,” McLeod said. “I hope stories like mine will inspire others to pour back into their communities, forming leaders of change. Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”

McLeod, like so many of his fellow NFLPA members, personified the values of compassion, generosity and solidarity throughout this season. In December, the Philadelphia Eagles defensive back hosted his foundation’s inaugural Art & Sole Sneaker Ball, where more than $205,000 was raised to update STEM and Black history curriculum in local schools. In recognition of his achievements for his community, the NFLPA will donate $100,000 to McLeod’s Change Our Future foundation. He was one of 18 NFLPA members the union highlighted during its 2021 Community MVP campaign.