Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee Jonathan Ledbetter says 'it takes a village' to raise kids in need

For Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter, using his platform to benefit the community is passing on what was given to him in his youth.

“My motto is pretty much, ‘It takes a village,’ and I wanted to be that village for kids that grew up like me, kids that needed guidance, kids that are going to face adversity in life, and I just wanted to be that,” Ledbetter said in an interview in December.

Ledbetter’s work in his community has led to him being named the Cardinals’ nominee for the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. Ledbetter is one of 32 players vying for the league’s most prestigious distinction, the winner of which will be announced during NFL Honors — the prime-time special that will air nationally on CBS and NFL Network at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 8, just days before Super Bowl LVIII. Each 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee will receive up to $55,000 for his charity of choice, courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide, with the winner getting a $250,000 donation.

“It’s just a great honor, it’s a blessing — truthfully — and I’m extremely, extremely, extremely grateful to be in this position,” Ledbetter said. “I can’t wait to see what we do with it as we continue to spread awareness for single-family households and ways to empower them and keep them going and give them what they need.”

Ledbetter’s foundation, Led a Better Way, works to provide for families in the communities of both his home state (Georgia) and his current place of residence (Arizona), with specific focuses on empowering single parents and raising awareness about mental health, both causes of personal significance to the fifth-year pro.

Ledbetter’s mother, who raised four children while in the military, taught him from a young age about the importance of giving back to your community. She would take her children to pass out holiday plates to the homeless or serve meals at the soup kitchen, formative experiences which Ledbetter thought back on as he embarked on his own charitable endeavors through his foundation.

“She’s everything,” Ledbetter said. “She was the backbone of our family, and she still is, and she holds pretty much everything together. And if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have started doing any of this.”

Ledbetter’s foundation has now been in operation for five years, with some of his recent outreach efforts including building outdoor classrooms, visiting children’s hospitals, donating toys to kids in Section 8 housing and holding youth football camps.

One area of particular focus is mental health awareness, a cause for which he draws from his own experiences. Ledbetter has spoken openly of battling with bouts of depression, especially in college at the University of Georgia, where he struggled at times with his identity and what he wanted to do with his life. Ledbetter emphasizes that the “village” he had around him was key to helping him overcome his issues to get to where he is now, and he wants to provide kids in similar situations with that same support.

“I know, especially in today’s day and age, kids … Sometimes they don’t feel like they have a safe space or a safe place,” Ledbetter said. “So when I started the mental health initiative, it was because of the things that I went through in my path, and my adversities in college and my first years in the league. … And it was just letting these kids know that life is going to give you ups and downs, and it’s OK to talk about these, and it’s OK to not feel OK.

“I was like, I’ve got to do this, because it’s important, and had I not had what I had, there’s no telling where I’d be right now.”

Ledbetter has participated in multiple public speaking forums on the topic of mental health in recent years, including acting as the keynote speaker at the Black Men’s Brain Health Conference at Arizona State University last February. But it was his first speaking engagement that he said impacted him the most, showing him the power of his platform to help others.

Ledbetter had returned to his own high school in Tucker, Georgia, to speak to some of the students, sharing his mental health journey and giving advice. While Ledbetter said he wasn’t sure what to expect at first, the eagerness with which the students approached him was unprecedented, driving home for him the full impact his words can have on kids.

“I was answering questions for probably an hour and a half, just about ways to cope with anger, ways to cope with sadness, ways to cope with finding new friends, ways to cope with coming to a new school, and depression, and just everything: relationships with parents, relationships with coaches, teachers, homework, studying,” Ledbetter said. “It was just like, man, these kids want to know. They really want to know, and they really want help. And they just need somebody to ask them what they need. And I was like, this is so cool, man — I’ll do this every year.”

Ledbetter particularly remembers having a conversation with one football player who described feeling like he’d lost himself after suffering an ACL injury. Ledbetter, who had overcome the same injury in 2020, said it felt like fate to be able to share his experience with someone in the same position, offering support and advice on how to navigate the complex emotions that come with such a challenging physical setback. Ledbetter ended up taking on this student as a long-term mentee, the first of multiple high schoolers that he’s taken under his wing since then.

“It’s so crazy because people are like, ‘I’m not a role model, I’m not that,’ but it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re playing this game, as long as you have that shield in front of you, these kids think you’re a superman,” he said. “And I don’t think people realize that part of it, like, they’re so eager and willing to just take any piece of information from you, if they can talk to you.”

As Ledbetter’s influence in the community has grown, so too has his on-field impact, with the former undrafted free-agent signee of the Dolphins overcoming his knee injury to gradually take on a more impactful role on the Cardinals’ defense. After playing in one game in his first year with Arizona in 2021, he saw action in 14 contests (with three starts) last season. But in 2023, he really came into his own, starting 12 games and posting career highs in tackles (46), quarterback hits (four) and sacks (1.5) before a knee injury on Christmas Eve prematurely ended his breakout campaign.

In a parallel upward trajectory, once Ledbetter came to Arizona, he was able to use the Cardinals’ resources to increase the impact of Led a Better Way, describing how he went from largely running the foundation on his own to having a full network of people within his communities. And the 26-year-old doesn’t see things slowing down at all going forward.

Ledbetter’s planning to partner with the Black Women’s Health Imperative, which he recognized through this year’s “My Cause, My Cleats” campaign. And he’s already organizing events for 2024 and ’25, including a gala at the University of Georgia aimed at fundraising for multiple causes championed by former Bulldogs in the NFL.

“We’re put on this earth, and I strongly believe we’re here to serve others, that is our full purpose,” Ledbetter said. “Our purpose is never us — your purpose is to be purposeful in what you do and what you have, and to use your talents to help somebody else find theirs. And I want to be the full embodiment of that.”