Arik Armstead, whose Armstead Academic Project supports early childhood education, was selected as the Walter Payton Man of the Year on Thursday night.The Sacramento native, who openly discusses how his difficulty reading as a child made him self-conscious, routinely visits schools and reads to children as part of his mission to ensure young students of all socio-economic backgrounds have access to adequate educational resources.“This is a huge honor,” Armstead said. “It’s a huge sense of responsibility that I feel to carry this forward and continue to serve — and serve more people.”| MORE | ‘Even better person than he is a player’: 49ers’ Armstead receives high praise from his former Pleasant Grove coachArmstead thanked his parents for “instilling a serving spirit into me at a young age.”“Your guidance is the biggest reason why I’m where I’m at in my life right now,” he said. “I hope I make you proud.”Armstead closed with a request to his audience in the Saenger Theater and those watching on television.| MORE | Super Surprise: Sacramento 4th grader and his dad get free tickets to the Super Bowl“We live in a world that is constantly trying to divide us,” Armstead said. “But I believe in humanity. I believe that we are all more alike than we are different and I believe that all of us have the power to be the change we want to see in our society.“I just encourage you to try to be a blessing in someone else’s life and see how that changes your life,” he said.Armstead was the longest-tenured player on the San Francisco 49ers prior to his release after nine seasons. He now plays with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a defensive end.–KCRA 3 staff contributed to this story.
Arik Armstead, whose Armstead Academic Project supports early childhood education, was selected as the Walter Payton Man of the Year on Thursday night.
The Sacramento native, who openly discusses how his difficulty reading as a child made him self-conscious, routinely visits schools and reads to children as part of his mission to ensure young students of all socio-economic backgrounds have access to adequate educational resources.
“This is a huge honor,” Armstead said. “It’s a huge sense of responsibility that I feel to carry this forward and continue to serve — and serve more people.”
| MORE | ‘Even better person than he is a player’: 49ers’ Armstead receives high praise from his former Pleasant Grove coach
Armstead thanked his parents for “instilling a serving spirit into me at a young age.”
“Your guidance is the biggest reason why I’m where I’m at in my life right now,” he said. “I hope I make you proud.”
Armstead closed with a request to his audience in the Saenger Theater and those watching on television.
| MORE | Super Surprise: Sacramento 4th grader and his dad get free tickets to the Super Bowl
“We live in a world that is constantly trying to divide us,” Armstead said. “But I believe in humanity. I believe that we are all more alike than we are different and I believe that all of us have the power to be the change we want to see in our society.
“I just encourage you to try to be a blessing in someone else’s life and see how that changes your life,” he said.
Armstead was the longest-tenured player on the San Francisco 49ers prior to his release after nine seasons. He now plays with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a defensive end.
–KCRA 3 staff contributed to this story.
