NFL Updates Charity Compliance Rules for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

Key takeaways from the Arizona Republic’s recent feature, with insights from Handler Law partner Andrew Morton.

The NFL recently announced that, beginning in 2025, all charities associated with Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees must be compliant with federal and state nonprofit laws before players can be considered for the league’s most prestigious individual honor.

This change follows investigative reporting by the Arizona Republic that revealed widespread mismanagement among player-founded charities, often due to a lack of proper nonprofit guidance.

Among those quoted was Andrew Morton, partner at Handler Law and Chair of the firm’s Sports & Entertainment Law Group, who advises more than 150 current and former professional athletes, in addition to actors, celebrities, musicians and authors, on philanthropy and nonprofit compliance. Morton explained:

“This is a very niche field. You don’t have a cardiologist fix your knee, and you don’t have a lawyer who does not have expertise in nonprofit law do compliance for your nonprofit.”

He also likened filing annual returns without maintaining nonprofit status to “renewing a license plate but not having the car,” which is a vivid illustration of why proper compliance matters.

The NFL’s updated requirements are designed to protect both players and communities by ensuring charitable dollars go where they are intended: toward real impact.

Read the full article in the Arizona Republic here.