Falcons punter fights child poverty with on field success: 'God put me in this position to help people'
Bradley Pinion was named the Falcons 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Atlanta Falcons punter Bradley Pinion is working toward big goals both on and off the field.
While the Falcons battle for the NFC South, Pinion is also fighting for another cause.
Bradley Pinion, #13 of the Atlanta Falcons, warms up before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Oct. 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Falcons 28-23. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
"I firmly believe that God put me in this position to help people and to use this platform to share His light and to share His word," he told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
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Pinion and his wife Kaeleigh have launched "Punts for Purpose" alongside Compassion International with the goal of supporting child survival centers in the developing world. For his part, $1,000 will be donated to the charity for every one of Pinion’s punts that falls within the 20-yard line this season.
According to the Falcons, Pinion has raised $20,000 through Week 13.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The initiative has garnered attention throughout the league with 12 other punters joining him by Week 14. It has also led to him being named the Falcons' 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year.
"It's a huge honor, and I'm very humbled to be selected. Something that you don't take lightly," Pinion said of his nomination.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Atlanta Falcons' Bradley Pinion during the NFL International match at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. (Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty ImageS)
"And it's one of those things that you just – I've said it a few times already, but you don't set out to win. You just kind of set out to use the platform that God's given you to the best way possible and this is a byproduct of it. It's one of those – I'd call it kind of the best award in football, honestly, because it's not always about the play on the field, but what you use your platform for. And this kind of embodies that. So it's a huge honor. And I'm just proud to represent the Falcons as a nominee this year."
Last week, the Falcons released a video of Pinion learning about his selection.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He and his wife went on a trip to Tanzania earlier this year, and the two children they sponsor were able to deliver the good news to him via a video from the team.
"That made me cry. It was super cool. Those were the two kids that we actually sponsor through Compassion in Tanzania. And just to kind of see them on there and for them to say ‘Asante Sana,’ which means thank you very much and Swahili, it was really, really cool to just to hear them and see them because I hadn't been able to see them since March when we went."
Bradley Pinion, #13 of the Atlanta Falcons, during the game against the New York Jets on Dec. 3, 2023 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He continued, "It was just awesome, something I'll cherish forever. A video I probably watched again and again until the day I die."
Jake Bailey of the Buffalo Bills and Braden Mann of the Philadelphia Eagles are just a few of the players supporting Pinion’s cause.
"It’s just humbling for people to see the passion that you have behind something and then to want to join in and see the passion that they have behind it. It's just super cool. And it's one of those things that I'll cherish and hopefully can even grow. I mean, my goal is to get all 32 punters involved, so hopefully one year we can do that."
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