Frank Ragnow, who helps grieving children, nominated for Walter Payton Man of Year

ALLEN PARK -- He’s been named Pro Bowler. He’s been named All-Pro.

Now, Frank Ragnow is a nominee for what he says is one the most prestigious awards of all: Water Payton Man of the Year.

The award honors NFL players who excel on the field and demonstrate a passion for creating a lasting positive impact in their communities. Each team gets one nominee, and a winner will be announced at the NFL Honors show before Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.

Each nominee will receive up to a $55,000 donation, and the winner will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice.

“I am incredibly grateful to be recognized for one of the most prestigious honors in our league, especially while being on a team filled with so many guys who impact the community in different ways and have supported the Rags Remembered Foundation,” Ragnow said in a statement. “My family and I take a lot of pride in this foundation, and to be able to help grieving families through the outdoors is something that we are very passionate about. This is a huge step in being able to help a lot more kids and families in the future.”

Ragnow’s foundation uses outdoors-based activities to support children who have lost parents and other loved ones. The foundation is named for his father, Jon, who suffered a heart attack after one of Ragnow’s games at Arkansas. Frank and Jon were extremely tight, and the younger Ragnow developed undiagnosed PTSD that he carried to his rookie season in Detroit.

“(I) just wasn’t able to move on,” Ragnow said during a skeet shooting event for his foundation over the summer. “Wasn’t able to sleep at night. Like, I remember -- something a lot of people don’t know that was a challenge for me -- so I trained in Minnesota after Arkansas, and then to leave my family and come to Detroit, I had, like, PTSD. And the fact that I was always here, that first spring OTAs, and I was always worried about my family, it was like leaving them again. I think a lot of that was because I didn’t talk to anybody about it.”

Frank and Jon shared a great love for the outdoors, and the younger Ragnow carries on that memory while trying to help others going through the grief of losing loved ones.

“I’ve seen how people grieve privately,” Ragnow said. “You don’t realize how everybody is affected by grief, and it sucks, and nobody talks about it. It’s like two weeks, and then life moves on. It’s like, ‘Sorry for your loss,’ check in on them, and the world keeps on spinning. (Helping others is) important for me.”

Ragnow is a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro who has continued to excel on the field this season, allowing just three quarterback hits and no sacks in 11 games. He’s the No. 3 center in the league despite battling toe, knee and back injuries this season.

He suffered a knee injury over the weekend in New Orleans that could affect his availability next week in Chicago, but Detroit believes he’s avoided the worst-case scenario.

“I feel like more than anything, we got good news,” head coach Dan Campbell said. “But that doesn’t mean he’ll be available this week.”