Falcons' Gonzalez named PFWA Good Guy
Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez has been named as the 2013 Good Guy Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America, the first non-quarterback to win the award since 2007.
The PFWA is given to a player for his professionalism. It was first given in 2005.
One of the league's most popular players on the field, Gonzalez caught a team-high 93 passes for 930 yards and eight touchdowns at age 36, as the Falcons went 13-3 and won the NFC South. For his career, Gonzalez holds NFL tight-end records for career receptions (1,242), receiving yards (14,268), TD catches (103), 100-yard games (30) and 1,000-yard seasons (four).
In March, he announced that he was returning to the team for his 17th NFL season. He had said before the 2012-13 season that he was "95 percent sure" he would retire.
"Throughout the season, Tony Gonzalez was more than gracious with his time in dealing with the media," PFWA President D. Orlando Ledbetter, who covers the Falcons for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said in a statement. "He was frank and open throughout about his plans for retirement and how he wanted to proceed. He exuded style and class throughout his 16th season in the league."
