PHOENIX (AP) -Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn is the inaugural winner of the “NFL Neighborhood MVP” award for his foundation’s work to help single parents purchase homes.
The award is presented by The Home Depot to a player making a positive impact through charitable programs and contributions.
Since 1997, Dunn has helped 74 parents and 192 children own their first homes. The projects are in Tampa and Tallahassee, Fla.; Baton Rouge, La.; and Atlanta.
“Community service has always been a cornerstone of who I am,” said Dunn, who received the award on Wednesday, “and I can’t stress enough the value that giving back adds to your own life and how it truly enriches others.”
He was chosen from among 17 players honored by the Home Depot during the season.
“Warrick has made an enormous impact in the cities he’s called home over the years,” said John Ross, vice president of advertising and marketing for The Home Depot. “His efforts this year embody The Home Depot’s core values: hard work, leadership and giving back, and we are very proud to honor him as our MVP winner.”
—
FANS’ MVP: Fans will have a say in who’s chosen the Super Bowl MVP.
In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, they can vote on NFL.com/superbowl or on wireless devices. The fan vote will count 20 percent, with a panel of 16 media members attending the Super Bowl making up the remaining 80 percent.
The MVP will be announced on the Fox telecast immediately following the game.
—
BLOOMBERG’S GIANTS: The last time Michael Bloomberg went to the Super Bowl was 1973, when he watched the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins to become the only team in NFL history to complete a season undefeated.
The New York mayor will be rooting against a repeat of that feat when he travels to Arizona to cheer on the Giants against the unbeaten New England Patriots on Sunday.
“It’s one of those things where we can all root for our team against the other team and there’s nothing nasty about it,” Bloomberg told reporters Wednesday. “It’s all in good fun.”
The billionaire, mentioned as a possible independent candidate for president, is good friends with the Tisch family, co-owner of the Giants.
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine is headed for the Super Bowl to root for the home team, even if the team is named the “New York” Giants.
Corzine has not placed any of the traditional bets with Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, although his office said attempts were being made to change that.
Corzine won a bet with Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle when the Giants beat the Green Bay Packers for the conference championship. Corzine won bratwurst, which he has yet to receive.
—
AIRING IT OUT: Aircraft from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Air National Guard will patrol a no-fly zone over the site of the Super Bowl on Sunday.
The customs agency will have a Cessna Citation jet, Blackhawk helicopter and Pilatus P-12 aircraft patrolling the skies to enforce a no-fly zone 35 miles around University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, a western suburb of Phoenix, from 3 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., MST, on Sunday. A smaller off-limits zone will be in place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The P-12 is equipped with a camera system that will feed video to a joint operations center in Phoenix.
Also patrolling the area will be F-16 fighter jets from the 162nd Fighter Wing unit, based in Tucson. Jets also will fly a series of defense missions Friday morning over parts of Tucson, Nogales and metro Phoenix.
People should not be alarmed if they see aircraft flying lower than usual this week, authorities said.
—
LEFTY’S CHOICE: Phil Mickelson is a big-time sports fan, and he’s known to place a bet or two.
But he was a bit coy when asked to pick a Super Bowl winner.
“I don’t have a pick. I don’t plan on going,” said Mickelson, in town for the FBR Open. “If the Chargers were going to be there, I’d be going.”
But no prediction?
“No,” he said, adding, “I think it’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen.”
—
GIVING UP THEIR HOME: Arizona star receiver Larry Fitzgerald said it’s odd to see the New York Giants using the Cardinals’ training facility this week.
“What’s even worse, insult to injury, we can’t even get into the building right now,” Fitzgerald said at a Pro Bowl news conference. “It’s like, ‘You can’t come over this week.’ The Giants have got it all locked over there.”
But he wasn’t really serious.
“That’s part of it,” Fitzgerald said. “We’ve got to give up our facility. They earned the right to play in the Super Bowl, and anything we can do to help them.”
The Giants are the third NFL team to use the Cardinals’ facility this season. The Chargers practiced there when fires raged in the San Diego area.
—
GIANT GOALPOSTS: The New York Giants might have something of a home goal-posts advantage on Sunday.
The goal posts at University of Phoenix Stadium were built by a company in the northern Catskills town of Delhi, N.Y.
Sportsfield Specialties designed an upright that could be readily removed and reinstalled because the stadium’s natural grass field slides outdoors when not in use.
The man who designed the stadium, Peter Eisenman, has been a Giants season ticket holder since 1957.
Add A Comment