Jason Witten and Felix Jones were both recognized by the NFL Alumni Association on Friday night in Dallas. Jason Witten was voted the tight end recipient for the NFL Alumni Player of the Year Award. Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta Falcons) and Dustin Keller (New York Jets) were the other finalists at the tight end position.
Voting for the NFL Alumni Player of the Year Awards is open to all retired NFL players. ESPNDallas reports that Jason Witten appreciates the respect of the alumni:
"It’s special because all of the guys that voted for that actually played the game and they were the best in the game," Witten said. "For those guys to vote for you, watch you and see you, that’s what you play for -- to get the respect of those types of players."
Felix Jones, who was also honored on Friday, was already announced as the recipient of the NFL Alumni’s Spirit Award in early January. The Spirit Award is given annually to a current or former player who has demonstrated a commitment to youth and community service and is voted on by a panel of former NFL player. Jones edged out finalists from among all 32 NFL teams for the award.
Jones was recognized for his development of youth mentoring programs in the Tulsa and Dallas areas as well as his involvement with the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee’s "Hunger No More" project. You can find out more about Felix Jones and his community activities by following this link to his homepage.