Every aspiring sports star needs somebody to look up to. No matter what their specialist discipline may be, youngsters will try to emulate an athlete who has excelled in their field.
Being a good role model isn’t just about sporting success. Players are also judged by their behavior off the field, along with key elements such as their philanthropic work.
As one of the major sports organizations in the world, the NFL has produced many top athletes, but who have developed to become the best role models for up-and-coming stars?
Tom Brady
Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady could lay a genuine claim to be the greatest footballer of all time. In terms of success on the field, young players have a great person to look up to. Brady’s teams always ranked highly in the NFL standings, and he won no fewer than seven Super Bowl Championships with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Some may dispute his efforts away from the field, but many feel that Brady has all the characteristics to make a perfect role model. He is confident in his ability, but he is also humble and is aware that the game doesn’t owe him a living.
Tom Brady has also supported a number of charities, while his main focus in this area is the TB12 Foundation. This organization works to offer financial support to athletes who are recovering from injury or looking for assistance with training.
Charles Tillman
The man known as ‘Peanut’ proves that you don’t have to enjoy a stellar sporting career to become a great role model. Charles Tillman played in the NFL for twelve years with the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers.
His playing returns were modest, but Tillman won a significant trophy. In 2013, he was handed the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. The honor is given to the person who the awards panel believes made the biggest impact on their community and the largest commitment to philanthropy.
He has backed many different charities, but his most notable work is through the Charles Tillman Cornerstone Foundation which helps the lives of sick children in the Chicago area. Tillman has been recognized as one of the 100 best Bears players of all time, but he’s proved that any NFL star can make a positive impact.
Walter Payton
The great Walter Payton earned the right to have a philanthropic award named for him. He was one of the first men to leave an NFL legacy, in terms of work both on and off the field. A running back, Payton was part of the great Chicago Bears teams of the 1980s, winning the Super Bowl in style in 1986.
He earned many individual awards too, before leaving the game in 1987. A year later, he set up the Walter Payton Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping children with health and education. Following his untimely passing in 1999, the NFL Man of the Year Award was renamed in his honor, and that’s a fitting tribute to a great role model.
Peyton Manning
Along with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning could legitimately lay claim to being the greatest NFL player of all time. A former quarterback, he won two Super Bowl championships and was the league’s MVP on no fewer than five occasions.
Manning was one of the first winners of the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, and his 2005 honor was richly deserved. Along with his brother Eli, Peyton Manning personally helped deliveries of essential items in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He is also the founder of the Peyback Foundation, which works to support disadvantaged children in Indiana, Louisiana, and Tennessee.
Patrick Mahomes
Of the current crop of NFL players, many believe Patrick Mahomes to be the best role model. He’s certainly proved a huge success on the field, winning three Super Bowl titles with the Kansas City Chiefs between 2019 and 2024, and claiming the MVP award each time.
Following the 2019 success, the quarterback set up the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation. It’s an organization dedicated to helping children, and it’s great to see this type of commitment at such an early stage in Patrick Mahomes’ career.
While there will be some debate about certain names on this list, each has set an example to young footballers coming through. There can be no doubt about their success on the field, with multiple awards and Super Bowl Championships earned by these players.
We know that it takes more than sporting prowess to become a good role model and the names listed do more than set an example on the field of play. With charity work and other volunteer roles at the forefront of what they do, these players are among the best that any youngster could aim to emulate.
