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Rey Honored as Bengals Man of the Year
12/19/2014 11:15:00 AM | Football
CINCINNATI, Ohio – For the second straight year, former Duke captain and current Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vinny Rey has been named the organization's Man of the Year and team nominee for the NFL's Walter Payton Award, an honor presented annually to the best example of a commitment to philanthropy and community impact.
Three of the 32 nominees will be designated as finalists for the award, named for the legendary Chicago Bears and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back who passed away in 1999. Finalists will be announced in January with the winner honored on Saturday of Super Bowl week.
“For Vinny to receive this honor again comes as no surprise to anyone who knows him,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “Vinny is a true humanitarian in every sense of the word. We're extremely proud to call him a member of the Duke Football family.”
Rey lettered four seasons (2006-07-08-09) at Duke and recorded 330 career tackles. He twice served as a team captain in 2008 and 2009 and was an All-ACC selection as a senior.
Now in his fifth year with the Bengals, Rey has played in 64 career games while amassing 191 tackles, 5.0 quarterback sacks and two interceptions. While helping Cincinnati to a 9-4-1 record this season, he has secured a team-high 103 tackles while starting 11 of 14 contests. In 2014, Rey has reached double figures in the tackle column five times including a season-best 16 stops versus Indianapolis in week seven. The Bengals are currently in first place in the AFC North standings and host Denver on Monday, Dec. 22 at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN.
"I'm humbled by that, and I'm grateful," Rey told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I do my part in the community, and the reason I do is I feel it's important to give back. I've been given so much growing up, just role models from my father to teachers to coaches, and I just want to reciprocate that and do the same thing."
With the nomination, Rey received a $1,000 donation from the NFL Foundation for Envision Children, a group designed toward assisting year-round learning for children. The three finalists will receive an additional $5,000 donation, and the winner will receive an additional $20,000 donation in his name.
#GoDuke
Three of the 32 nominees will be designated as finalists for the award, named for the legendary Chicago Bears and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back who passed away in 1999. Finalists will be announced in January with the winner honored on Saturday of Super Bowl week.
“For Vinny to receive this honor again comes as no surprise to anyone who knows him,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “Vinny is a true humanitarian in every sense of the word. We're extremely proud to call him a member of the Duke Football family.”
Rey lettered four seasons (2006-07-08-09) at Duke and recorded 330 career tackles. He twice served as a team captain in 2008 and 2009 and was an All-ACC selection as a senior.
Now in his fifth year with the Bengals, Rey has played in 64 career games while amassing 191 tackles, 5.0 quarterback sacks and two interceptions. While helping Cincinnati to a 9-4-1 record this season, he has secured a team-high 103 tackles while starting 11 of 14 contests. In 2014, Rey has reached double figures in the tackle column five times including a season-best 16 stops versus Indianapolis in week seven. The Bengals are currently in first place in the AFC North standings and host Denver on Monday, Dec. 22 at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN.
"I'm humbled by that, and I'm grateful," Rey told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I do my part in the community, and the reason I do is I feel it's important to give back. I've been given so much growing up, just role models from my father to teachers to coaches, and I just want to reciprocate that and do the same thing."
With the nomination, Rey received a $1,000 donation from the NFL Foundation for Envision Children, a group designed toward assisting year-round learning for children. The three finalists will receive an additional $5,000 donation, and the winner will receive an additional $20,000 donation in his name.
#GoDuke
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