‘She’d be crying’: Dak Prescott honors late mother after winning NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award

PHOENIX — Dak Prescott’s late mother used to introduce her football-obsessed baby boy the same way.

“This is my Heisman winner,” Peggy would predict to anyone who listened.

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback didn’t win that award. But Thursday, Prescott was recognized as the 2022 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year, the league’s top award for outstanding community service activities and off-field excellence.

“Wish she would have said that instead of Heisman,” Prescott said. “She’d be crying. So proud. She was a crier when happy moments came. I know she’s smiling down.”

Prescott didn’t hesitate when asked where the honor ranks among those he has received in his nearly 30 years of life.

“That’s easy: It’s No. 1,” he said. “When your mom gets diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and she’s given months to live and given you that news and tells you, ‘Hey: All greats have a story. Allow me to be your story,’ that’s what this award means to me.”

Prescott’s Faith, Fight, Finish Foundation works in four main spaces: colon cancer research; mental health and suicide prevention; bridging the gap between law enforcement and the communities they serve; and offering assistance to those facing life-challenging hardships.

His mother’s death in 2013 inspired the cancer research tenet, while the 2020 suicide of Prescott’s older brother, Jace, motivated an intense focus on mental health and suicide awareness. Prescott partnered with defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, the New York Jets’ Man of the Year nominee, to raise awareness of the National Suicide Prevention Hotline’s shift to a more-accessible, three-digit number (988).

Prescott and Thomas were among 25 clubs’ Man of the Year nominees, per an NFL representative, who visited a Phoenix Boys & Girls Club on Friday morning. The players rotated among stations including cleat decoration, gaming and mentorship. Prescott and his group of four mentees discussed how they stayed focused amid distractions, what superpower they’d most want and the key to forming sustainable habits.

“You almost have to create a routine with your habits,” Prescott explained, citing the book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. “Habits don’t add up. They compound.”

As students spoke about their responsibilities balancing school and after-school jobs, taking care of their siblings and at times even their parents, Prescott thanked them for the influence. He said that as the youngest of three boys, he was the one who benefited from the type of care they’re showing their siblings.

“I’ve got to thank y’all,” Prescott said, “because I was the younger one, but the way that y’all are thinking and moving right now is incredible. Your younger siblings and the people that you’re leading are thankful that you have this mentality and mindset.”

Prescott exchanged words with one Boys & Girls Club attendee who said he struggled with mental health and thanked Prescott for the awareness he has raised of that battle. He encouraged another student who painted three people on his cleat to show how similar people are despite perceived differences.

Prescott’s message throughout the day: His service and community work will continue and grow with this new platform. He hopes receiving the award can further his work and help others even more than himself.

“My story’s not for me. I say that all the time,” he said. “I’m living the life that God wants me to live. … When good, bad, anything comes, I understand there’s a purpose for me. It may not be on my time.

“It’s a blessing. It really is humbling.”

Follow Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.