Jay Feely Earns Cards' Man Of Year Honor
Since a devastating earthquake in 2010, Jay Feely has gone to Haiti three times to help the needy, and even took his family to be a part of it.
"When you go down there and see kids without families and people without homes, it gives you a different perspective," the kicker said Thursday as he accepted the Cardinals' version of the
"We feel like the biggest advantage you have as a professional athlete is the opportunity to give back. People look to you to be a leader, but also look at you in a certain way just because you are an athlete. I think you can use that to your advantage to have an impact on people."
Feely is one of 32 NFL Man of the Year winners to qualify for the league's national award, which recognizes a player's off-the-field community service as well his playing excellence. The overall winner will be announced prior to Super Bowl XLVIII in New York/New Jersey. Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner won the league award for the 2008 season.
Besides the trips to Haiti, Feely's good works include being a regular visitor to the Phoenix Ronald McDonald House, a participant in the team's annual "Feed The Hungry" event at Phoenix Rescue Mission, and as a supporter of the House of Refuge, a non-profit organization helping homeless families and individuals as they strive towards self-sufficiency and seek to obtain permanent housing.
Feely and his family have also created the Feely Family Foundation, which focuses on the protection, education, and rehabilitation of children.
"You can be overwhelmed with the poverty when you first go down (to Haiti)," Feely said. "You get the mindset that, 'I can't help everybody but I can help a couple of people and I can be part of the process of healing.' "