QB Drew Brees has been named a finalist for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year, the NFL announced today.
Fans can vote for Brees on NFL.com/FedEx until Friday, January 27 at 9 pm ET.
The FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year will be announced on Wednesday, February 1 at a press conference during the week of Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.
Brees set the single-season record for most passing yards with 5,476, eclipsing DAN MARINO's record of 5,084 yards set in 1984. Brees also set the NFL record for completion percentage (71.2) and most completions in a season (468).
Brees, who was named to the NFC's 2012 Pro Bowl roster, led the NFL with 46 touchdowns passes and an average of 342 passing yards per game. His 110.6 passer rating ranked second in the NFL. Brees, who led the Saints to a 13-3 record in 2011, was nominated for FedEx Air Player of the Week honors seven times, winning the award three times. Brees has been named FedEx Air Player of the Year three times, most recently in 2009.
FedEx will support education efforts at Junior Achievement by making a $25,000 donation in the Air and Ground winners' names. The funding, allocated to local Junior Achievement area offices in the winning players' city or state, is used to educate the next generation of entrepreneurs on how to start and grow their own small businesses.
This season, fans voted for more than their favorite player. FedEx introduced a new program called the FedEx Small Business of the Week – a program that has rewarded small business owners each week with $5,000 and the chance to go to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. As fans visit NFL.com/FedEx to vote for their favorite quarterback and running back, they can also cast their vote for one of three small business nominees. FedEx will award the Small Business of the Year with an all-inclusive trip to Super Bowl XLVI and a one-on-one meeting with a former NFL great.
As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx created the Air & Ground program to highlight superior on-field performance among the league's top-performing quarterbacks and running backs, while supporting small business and providing relevant solutions that matter off-the-field. Follow FedEx on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @FedExDelivers.
