My Heart Goes Out to You and Your Family

Yous would be hard-pressed to find a Denver Broncos' community effect that didn't have rubber Justin Simmons involved.

Or a teammate's foundation event.

And when he'southward non helping the Broncos or a teammate, he and his wife Taryn are leading their own charity events through the Justin Simmons Foundation.

But he'south not but an observer doing his duty for the team; he'due south a truly involved participant.

Just similar you wouldn't observe the league's highest paid condom continuing on the sidelines for virtually any defensive snap, you lot won't detect him hanging dorsum when the team is out helping those who could employ a little extra.

It's just in his blood to commit his time to those in demand.

From his family upbringing to his religion, that has been of the utmost importance to the All Pro safety.

"You striking it on the head — faith and family unit," Simmons told me last weekend. "Organized religion has been in that location my whole life, and I'm thankful for my parents ingraining that in me. Downwardly the route, I institute my own path. I have a existent middle for people. The aforementioned way Jesus had a heart for people and was and then selfless and giving of his time. I call back the almost important article we accept is to give our time."

And Simmons has washed simply that since existence drafted to the Broncos in 2016.

Whether it is building houses with Habitat for Humanity, playing with kids at the Metro Denver Boys & Girls Lodge, talking with cancer survivors at Fight Similar a Bronco, hosting a style show with the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, visiting children battling concluding illnesses at the Denver Children's Hospital, or literally whatever of the hundreds of events the squad has done, Simmons is correct there in the heart of it, flashing his smile and showing people the side of the NFL we don't go to come across enough on Sundays.

The Broncos certainly know how fortunate they are to have a squad leader and team player like Simmons.

"Justin is special and has an ability to connect that is very rare," said Patrick Smyth, Broncos' master communication officer. "Watching him abound into such an incredible community leader over the final vi years has been fulfilling for anybody in our organization. I retrieve he has a natural curiosity to find ways to assistance those in demand and make an impact, and yous've seen that with how passionate he has been serving the community. The fashion Justin has done it - become a bang-up player and gradually build his platform along the way - has been impressive. Nosotros are fortunate to take him!"

'Time is the all-time commodity we accept'

In fact, his parents, Kimberly and Victor, taught Simmons and his siblings from a very young historic period that "time" was non really theirs but God's — and how they spent that time would exist everything almost who they are.

"I just feel nosotros are called to impact the earth and spread the love of Christ," Simmons said. "It's not our time, it'south God's fourth dimension and how we steward that time is important."

Fans may not take the same spiritual beliefs as Simmons, simply they can't argue with the way he is stewarding his time — selflessly helping many in the Denver community.

Though, Simmons recalls being a teenager and not always having the aforementioned appreciation for giving his time. He laughed remembering a few Sabbatum mornings where he didn't desire to get up and coach Pop Warner football after playing his own high schoolhouse football game the nighttime before.

But his parents were having none of his complaining.

"Now looking dorsum, I can run across that my time was important to those kids," he said, acknowledging that he won't have the aforementioned hesitation when the fourth dimension comes to help coach his daughters' flag football teams the mode Peyton Manning coaches his son Marshall'south.

"Now that I can't expect for," he laughed.

Simply even equally a sometimes unwilling teen, Simmons had an actress special place in his giving heart for kids.

"Kids are the future, and I know the power of people assertive in me and investing in me," Simmons said, adding the world would exist a lot happier if we invested in more than kids' futures. "I was able to attain a lot, not because I was any more special than anyone else, just because I had a lot of people speak their truth to me. I try to show that aforementioned energy to every kid and give every child I can those resource to empower them to reach their goals."

Justin Simmons joins teammate Chris Harris Jr. for a Christmas shopping spree with kids at the Denver Children's Habitation in 2019.

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Emerging as a team leader

But fifty-fifty equally Simmons has been clean-cut for this kind of role, he acknowledged much of his growth as a leader in the locker room too as the NFL came in Spring 2020.

COVID-19 had hit and sports teams were among those affected first past shutdowns. At the same fourth dimension Black Lives Matter protests were gaining steam effectually the country following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and others.

Simmons constitute himself compelled to stand up and speak out — no thing the risk to his "chore" as an NFL player who was coming up on a contract year.

After having participated in a march for racial justice in his domicile state of Florida, Justin Simmons helped organize one in downtown Denver in June 2020.

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He credits some of his leadership to mentors like Brandon Marshall and Demaryius Thomas who had led the team in kneeling protests back in 2016 and 2017.

Simmons recalled listening to Marshall and Thomas share their stories, which helped him codify his own position as well every bit influence the path he would take three years later when tensions between the NFL and the players once again came to the forefront.

"I was at a phase then [during the anthem kneeling protests] that I didn't experience as though I could speak upwardly," Simmons recalled.

Just in the spring of 2020, he was ready.

"I was able to exist the BMarsh and DT for the younger guys, the style they were for me," Simmons said. "I'grand really beholden for those guys and all the same follow BMarsh and his work in the customs."

Sharing his own story and having open conversations with teammates immune Simmons to help the Broncos bond as a team during a tense time in the country as well as the NFL.

"When people get to know who you are and what you stand upward for, you build that bond that makes it like shooting fish in a barrel for guys to follow your lead because they know the care factor," Simmons said. "That really cracked the door for usa to grow closer as a team."

Honored by others

Given DT'southward function in helping to shape Simmons as an eventual team leader on and off the field, it'south fitting Simmons was the inaugural recipient of the Demaryius Thomas Team MVP award this flavor.

Chosen past local media, the award goes to the player who best reflects Thomas' legacy on and off the field. Thomas, who passed abroad unexpectedly in Dec at age 33 just a few months afterward retiring from pro football, was a five-fourth dimension Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl 50 champion.

Simmons was an obvious choice given his immense work off the field in improver to his All Pro season on information technology.

Leading Denver'southward third-ranked scoring defense, Simmons had five interceptions and four tackles for loss, 12 passes defensed, one.5 sacks and ii quarterback hits. And for the second time in his career, he was named second-team All-Pro by AP. The Broncos' veteran safety is just the fifth Denver actor in the final decade to earn multiple All-Pro nods — joining Von Miller, Peyton Manning, Chris Harris Jr. and Demaryius Thomas — and the third Broncos rubber along with Steve Atwater and Billy Thompson.

Consummate list of Broncos with at least ii All-Pro nods from the last decade:

Peyton Manning
Von Miller
Chris Harris Jr.
Demaryius Thomas
Justin Simmons

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— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) January fourteen, 2022

In addition, Simmons was chosen by his teammates and coaches for a third year in a row as the Broncos' nominee for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year award — a league-wide honor to the thespian who best exemplifies Payton's giving spirit and commitment to his squad's community.

The winner will be announced during the primetime NFL Honors program Feb. 10, and he will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice. Each nominee as well receives up to a $twoscore,000 donation in his proper name to the charity of option.

Whether he wins, Simmons is really appreciative to his teammates for the recognition. in fact, he considers it probably the highest accolade he could get.

"It'southward just a tremendous honour. I think the best type of recognition you could get is from your peers, the people I work with mean solar day in and day out," Simmons said. "Their opinion of me matters — how I interact as a teammate and a friend. To receive this honour from them is actually simply humbling."

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Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/2022/2/1/22910646/justin-simmons-heart-for-people-goes-back-to-family-faith

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