The first two things Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II said on Wednesday, as he was recognized as the team's 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, were the perfect representation of who Moore is and showed why he is deserving of the highest honor an NFL player can receive.
The first thing Moore did was thank the Colts for their commitment to giving back to the Indianapolis community and "having beliefs and a standard," pointing out that he was just one part of an entire locker room full of men who want to give back and are also worthy of the award.
The second thing Moore said is that he is even more inspired to do more to help his community.
What he didn't say was that that kind of mentality – wanting to help those around him in any way he can and striving to be the best version of himself – is also the perfect representation of what it means to be a Colts player. Moore didn't say it, but general manager Chris Ballard did.
"He's been a lifetime Colt – made it to where he's gonna be a lifetime Colt," Ballard said, looking proudly to Moore stood off to the side. "We know what he does on the field, but it's the off the field (things), that's the special (part)."
Ballard went on to list some of Moore's most well-known community work: Moore's creation of the Love One Foundation in 2022, his determination to help his hometown of Valdosta, Ga. following the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene this fall, his annual youth football camps and, of course, his [relationship with “Mighty” Mason Garvey](https://www.colts.com/news/colts-kenny-moore-mighty-mason-garvey-indiana-football-undefeated-candy-stripe-gloves).
"I can go on and on about what Kenny has done," Ballard said. "The one that always gets me is Mason and the Garvey family."
Moore met the Garveys and formed a brotherly bond with Mason of his own accord – the Colts didn't even know about the relationship and all that Moore had done for the family until months after they met.
"It's easy to write a check, it's easy to put your name next to something," Ballard said. "It's hard to show up. That's hard. And (Moore) showed up every day for this young man and his family, and to me, that's who he is. That's who he is."
Moore's commitment to his community has never been about getting attention or recognition; he truly just wants to show up and be a force for good, however he can. It doesn't matter that he plays in the NFL. He wants to be seen as more than a football player, leaving a truly meaningful legacy on the people he meets.
"It's a passion," Moore said. "Whenever I look over my career, and the reaction that I've gotten from people outside of this building, it's more so like 'You're not just a football player.' And I think that's been my task, and that's all I've ever wanted, was to do more, to be more."
During the Colts' bye week last week, Moore hosted his first football camp at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center – for the past seven years, Moore has put on an annual football camp in Valdosta over the summer, but this marked the first time Moore was able to have one in Indianapolis.
"It just feels like home," Moore said. "It means more to me to give back to Indianapolis...it's a different love here, because you see a lot of people who have grown up as Colts fans, people who have a lot of love for the Colts."