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By Mallory Mattingly
The New Orleans Saints named linebacker Demario Davis as their Walter Payton Man of the Year award nominee.
“For Demario Davis, service is about planting seeds that grow long after he’s gone. As the New Orleans Saints’ 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee, Davis reflects on how his Southern upbringing, rooted in hospitality, faith, and family, shaped his approach to leadership and community impact. Through the Devoted Dreamers Academy, Davis and his wife focus on mentoring youth, coaching leaders, and empowering local voices to take ownership of community service,” the Saints shared.
“New Orleans is a city that hugs you; we’re just hugging the city back,” Davis said in a video shared by the Saints.
“New Orleans is a city that hugs you; we’re just hugging the city back”
Taking a moment to honor our @NFL Man of the Year club winner 🏆 @demario__davis #WPMOYChallenge | @Nationwide pic.twitter.com/hTY2VV1Lya
Related: Demario Davis Praises God for Daughter’s Healing During NFL Press Conference
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 4, 2025
For Davis, his charitable work stems from his faith.
“Our family moves by a simple focus — a quiet mantra that keeps us grounded: Faith · Family · Food · Football. My wife calls it ‘The F Word,’ but for us it’s a way of life. These values shape our home, our work, and the way we show up for people. They remind us that love, compassion, and service are the real measures of a life well lived,” he posted on Instagram last month.
Through Davis and his wife, Tamela’s, Devoted Dreamers foundation, the couple hosts an event they call “Dinner with the Davises,” which they hope encourages people to gather around their tables with family.
“We feel like family time, family dinners are something that’s become a little bit obsolete in our communities now with everybody being so busy, all the hustle bustle,” Davis explained. “So, giving everybody opportunity to kind of slow down, gather, have good fun, have great food, and enjoy each other. There’s so much that goes on around breaking bread together. It’s fellowship. It’s conversations. It’s connection. And we want to encourage that for families.”
His foundation also heads up the Devoted Dreamers Academy, which focuses on “building character, leadership, and life skills that extend far beyond the classroom or football field. While many of our students are athletes, our mission is to show them — and the world — that their potential reaches far beyond sports.”
They teach things like financial literacy, career readiness, public speaking, goal setting and emotional intelligence, all to “equip young people to thrive in every area of life.”
Davis designed the academy based on his own life story.
“I want you to imagine a place with me where kids can discover their identities and gifts, and they can grow them and expand them,” he told Stand Together. “A place where the teaching is catered to their unique learning style. Devoted Dreamers Academy is that place. We want to know who the kid is, how they learn, and teach them from there.”
It’s not surprising that the Saints nominated Davis as their 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year. The official winner will be announced at the end of January.
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