Risner Continues to Make Lasting Impact
Jun 10, 2026 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
For now, the 2018 First Team All-American at Kansas State who played center, tackle and guard while starting in 50 of 51 games, lounges on a bright couch surrounded by bright walls in a living room that looks out at a large pool and a pond in a green-grass backyard.
"I'm Dalton Risner, and I'm in year eight, and I'm bald," Risner says, smoothing over the top of his head with a wide smile. "I feel incredibly blessed and grateful. Each year I've been molded for the better. God has taken me through so many storms just to get me to where I'm at today.
"I thought I was a pretty good guy at K-State, but He's taken me through a lot of hard stuff — family and football included — to bring me to the type of human, husband and father I can be. I'm really proud of that."
Risner was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 41st pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, holding the starting left guard position for four seasons, before he was placed on injured reserve with a partial UCL tear in his right elbow on January 3, 2023. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings on September 19, 2023, and was named the starting left guard in Week 7, and then he re-signed with the Vikings on May 31, 2024. He was placed on injured reserve to begin the 2024 season and was activated on November 2.
Fast-forward and the 30-year-old Risner is in his second year with the Cincinnati Bengals. Last year, he signed on August 27, 2025, and was named starting right guard in Week 2 and started more than a handful of games over the rest of the season.
That's the Cliff's notes recap of Risner's professional journey since leaving K-State as one of the top offensive linemen in school history.
Today, he resides at his home in Sarasota, Florida.
"I've been grinding in OTAs in Cincinnati," he says. "I worked Monday through Thursday afternoon, hopped on a flight and came back to Sarasota, Florida, I'm at my Florida house with the pool out back with the pond. I'm headed back Sunday for OTAs next week. I was just hanging out at Joe Burrow's house yesterday. He's a really cool guy. I've been getting booked for a few keynote speeches, so I've been traveling around speaking, which has been good."
What prompted Risner's decision to make a home in Sarasota?
"We played our four years in Denver and they didn't resign me," Risner says. "I said to my wife, Whitney, 'Where do you want to go?' She said, 'I've always dreamed of living by the beach.' I said, 'Let's move to Florida.' And we did. A few months later in September 2023 the Minnesota Vikings called and signed me to a contract and it's been a blast ever since. We've lived here three years. This last offseason we just bought a house in Overland Park, Kansas, so we'll be living there at some points in the year. That's where Whitney's family is from. So, as we start a family it's going to be fun to be close to her family.
"We got pregnant last year. We had a miscarriage at 10 weeks, which was incredibly hard. We're recovering from that and are trying to start a family, which we're excited for."
Imagine 6-foot-5, 330-pound Risner rocking a baby. With his giving heart, he will be an awesome dad. Already, he has ample experience in impacting others in a very positive way. The itch was born when young Dalton was bullied and left out of the fun because classmates made fun of his weight back home in Wiggins, Colorado. Today, Risner annually doles out a $5,000 scholarship to a Wiggins High School student, personally reviewing each application, conducting Zoom interviews, and then teaming up with Whitney to decide upon that year's recipient.
"I flew to Wiggins in February and always speak to the kindergarten-thru-12th grades and walk around the classrooms and I meet with the superintendent and the principal," he says. "I go to the gas station, and I eat at the one restaurant."
It's Wiggins, Colorado, a tiny town of 800 people with its fields and farms, where this dream started.
"One thing I've always talked about is I've always dreamed big," Risner says. "I believed I could do anything. In all my speeches, I say don't let anybody tell you what you can't do. After Jesus there's no greater power than believing in yourself. We set limitations as humans constantly. A lot of parents put ceilings on their kids because they set limits on themselves. My two parents let me dream.
"I'm so grateful for my childhood and my high school career. My dad took me to 15 to 20 camps a summer. I'm so grateful for Bill Snyder and Charlie Dickey believing in me at K-State. I've always believed in myself, man, and I'm going against the best players in the world. From that little boy in Wiggins, Colorado, to the bald guy in his eighth year in the NFL, believing in myself is something I've always felt strongly about."
Risner was named a 2018 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete as a four-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, and he also created the RiseUp Foundation to share his story, faith and passions, and which encouraged others to rise above and be a shining light in others' lives. What started as a modest video blog evolved into so much more, including countless speaking engagements, and contributions from other young people.
Once a week, Risner visited a home for children with special needs. He served as a big brother to a young boy battling leukemia and continues to visit him each year, and is a strong presence at Camp Hope, a place where children and teens diagnosed with cancer can bond over a shared love of the outdoors, and being struck by their positive outlook in even the direst of circumstances. He visited retirement communities, volunteered with local elementary schools and helped with the Flint Hills Breadbasket.
For his selfless efforts, Risner was named 2018 Big 12 Conference Sportsperson of the Year.
"Turned out that the name 'The Rise Up Foundation' was already taken, and I quickly learned about trademarks," Risner says, laughing. "But we had some fun that last year at K-State doing that. That was a really cool time. I think back to K-State all the time. So much has changed and I've changed so much, but one thing that hasn't changed is my heart for people, and that's still one of the greatest joys I have aside from playing football.
"Football is great, but the power of impacting somebody's life has always been one of my greatest joys. My wife and I always ask the question, 'What's the one thing you love about me the most?' One thing I love the most about my wife is the way she treats people. I'm not perfect, but impacting somebody in a positive way is an incredible feeling."
Today, The RisnerUp Foundation only strengthens by the year, as Risner positively impacts others through love and kindness, offering a helping hand and aiming to lift spirits, generate smiles and spread the word of God. The RisnerUp Foundation features a newsletter and a strong social media presence that often details the day-to-day doings of one of the most giving men in the NFL.
"I want to make people feel good," Risner says. "Life is hard. There's so much pain in life. Why would we ever want to treat somebody the way we don't want to be treated? I always promised and envisioned that if I was able to do something through football and build a platform that I'd always use it to glorify God and impact people. The Rise Up was started because of Kansas State fans. People asked, 'What's your plan with this?' At the time, I didn't have one. I just loved giving back. I went to nursing homes and spoke to schools. It began with Rise Up and that turned into Risner Up. Every two weeks on social media you see what we're doing — scholarships, speaking engagements."
Meanwhile, one effort in particular remains dear to Risner's heart: Special Olympics.
Risner serves as a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics along with NBA star Devin Booker, former All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles, Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, and former NBA All-Star Yao Ming. As icons of success from diverse industries such as sports, music, entertainment, media, and beyond, Special Olympics Global Ambassadors lend their time, talent and resources to support the Special Olympics mission. They're inspirational role models who share a belief in the power to come together and break down barriers.
"Michael Carpenter, intellectual disability, Manhattan Special Olympics, is where it truly all started for me with Mike Finnegan and the Leadership Studies class we took as freshmen football players at K-State," Risner says. "That's where I met Michael and was introduced to Special Olympics. Today, I'm a Special Olympics Global Ambassador, and Special Olympics chairperson in Colorado and in Kansas. I get so much joy being a part of the Special Olympics organization because that's where my love for giving back really started and I saw that this is what I loved. I visit Michael and his family every year at his house and we play ping-pong."
Risner's stops in the state of Kansas doesn't stop inside the Carpenter's home. While at K-State, Risner asked for names of any child that was battling cancer in hopes of being a big brother to that person. His gold heart hit a gold mine when he was introduced to Camp Hope.
"Camp Hope is a camp I started going to over 10 years ago and I've gone back four or five times, and I go back to Colbert Hills Golf Course every year and run a golf tournament for Camp Hope, and donate a whole day, and travel and buy flights," Risner says. "This year, I'm driving down to Great Bend for Camp Hope, which I found out about through my K-State teammate Nick Walsh in 2014. I went to my first Camp Hope thinking I was going to impact them, but they impacted me. That's an organization and event I've very near and dear to.
"When I left Kansas State, I made promises to multiple people and families that I wasn't doing this for the Campbell Trophy, the AFCA Good Works Team, the Jason Witten Man of the Year. These people meant a lot to me."
Risner started what he calls "Impact Call Day."
Near the top of the list is Kayden Hampton, who lives in Topeka and was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was paralyzed at age 3, but who was able to walk again at age 4 as his parents fought to save his life. Risner, then a junior All-American at K-State — the Hamptons did not know that Risner played football — drove to visit Kayden regularly for dinners or ice cream. Kayden went into remission at age 6 and Risner was with the Hampton family for his last bloodwork.
"I'm a very detail-oriented guy," Risner says. "Once a month, I spend four hours calling people. Kayden had leukemia and was put on remission while I was at K-State, and now Kayden is about to be in high school. I talk to him once a month. I call Kayden and Michael Carpenter, and I used to call (legendary K-State football head secretary) Joan Friederich before she passed away, and there's a young man named Isaac while I was a Bronco and he lost his dad to an addiction, and I call him. I visit Isaac when I'm in town. There's a boy named Jayden who I met at a football camp, and I promised his mom that I'd be in his life because he lost his dad. Jayden's in high school now. I call him once a month and visit him when I'm in town. Shelby, I met at Camp Hope. She had eight brain surgeries before she was seven years old. I promised her family I'd be in her life. I just had lunch with her and her family two months ago. I call her once a month.
"Man, there are so many behind-the-scenes things. I tell Whitney all the time, I get home from work and spend hours and say, 'How does everybody do this?' She says, 'They're not making calls to 10 different kids and aren't taking flights to visit the state of Kansas and Colorado and Missouri to visit kids.' I take a lot of pride in it, bro."
He pauses.
"Man, he says, "I don't tell a lot of people about it."
Whether it's Colorado, Minnesota or Cincinnati, from football camps to building houses to serving meals, Risner sets no boundaries on his community support. In Colorado, he partnered with Mountain Breeze Heating and Air to install an HVAC system into a family's home. He partnered with United Healthcare to do a cost giveaway for adults and children at the Mission. He dropped off clothes and served meals during the holidays and during a normal week. He hosted a "Night at the Museum" charity dinner at the Children's Museum of Denver.
Shortly after arriving in Minnesota, Risner sponsored and hosted a Thanksgiving dinner party at the West 7th Salvation Army in St. Paul, where more than a dozen local families enjoyed hot turkey dinners. It was such a success that Risner did it again the following Thanksgiving.
"One thing I've found through all of this is there are a lot of people who can show up to events and write a check, and giving financially is incredibly important, but what's more important is our time," Risner says. "I don't go to an event to write a check, take a picture, and be in the newspaper. I go to an event to impact lives. I'll show up early, I'll sign autographs, I'll stay late, and 90% of it is unseen and behind closed doors. I don't do it to get noticed or for an award, I do it to glorify God."
But the Broncos took note of Risner's deeds in the community and named Risner their nominee for the 2022-23 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
"I was a final for the Jason Witten Man of the Year Award when I was at K-State and that was special, but the Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination? I was blindsided by it," Risner says. "To me, that's one of the highest honors in the NFL to impact people in a positive way. I was so elated to represent the Broncos in the Super Bowl, but I'm going to be giving back consistently and constantly whether or not there's an award."
Most recently, Risner was challenged by Bengals center Ted Karras for a friendly competition in running the Queen City Running 5K, the premier race of Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. Risner and Karras ran to support The Cincy Hat, the charity founded by Karras in 2022.
Something crazy happened on May 2. Risner, who had never run 3.2 miles in his life, beat Karras in the 5K race.
The feat the 5K comes with a story of its own.
"A little background," Risner says. "Through my football journey, I've been a free agent from five to seven months sometimes — 'on the street.' Year five, I showed up to the Minnesota Vikings in September and hadn't played in a football game since the past January, my last year with the Denver Broncos. I was in Minnesota for two or three weeks before I made my first start against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. I take so much pride in that because of all the mornings that it was 6:00 a.m., nobody woke me up, I and I pushed myself, and I lifted and ran, and walked to a local park two minutes down my street where there were mailboxes and a patch of grass where people stop for their dogs to poop and that's where I worked out. People might think NFL players are at $50 million resorts every day with nice turf and a beautiful gym. My story is different. I did that for seven months, and without Jesus and my wife, it wouldn't have been possible. Then three weeks later, I showed up in Minnesota and played.
"Last year, I had the same opportunity. I wasn't happy with my contract offers. Every offseason, I've had the opportunity to take a league-minimum deal with a team, but I've battled with owners and general managers on getting better deals. I was faced with another decision. I'd been a free agent for seven months, and I was here in my garage working out, and taking 45-pound plates and walking around the pond, and going to that patch of grass. I had my cleats on and was going through my blocks and here I am a 6-foot-5, 330-pound man and this man walked by and said, 'That's a hell of a fantasy football team you're on.' He laughed. I thought about that and was like, 'If he only knew I'm in the NFL and in the grind of my life.' I realized I could be done, so I took the league-minimum deal at Cincinnati and six days later played in the Dawg Pound against Myles Garrett and earned my spot and played so well that the Bengals re-signed me."
Risner's training paid off for multiple reasons, including one to help raise money for Karras' charity.
"With my training, I had developed a regiment," Risner says. "Through four years and long offseasons, I got into long-distance running and fasting. Fasting is very spiritual, mental and physical. At the same time, I was running, and got down to 6 minutes, 54 seconds as my mile PR that offseason. But I never thought I could run a 5K. Ted Karras, our center, challenged me to run a 5K. He messed with the wrong guy because all these years I'd fasted and ran and had found a love in it. I loved running. Who would think a 330-pound man would love running? It's so peaceful for me.
"I'm so proud of that 5K on May 2 because I never thought I could run 3.2 miles without stopping. Whitney and I ran it together. I ran the 5K in just over 26 minutes. To me, it was a testament to the last three or four years of my life and the endless number of runs I'd taken that nobody knew about and all the times I was at that local park. It was a bigger deal to me than people thought."
Make no mistake, Risner is a big deal when it comes to good works from the heart, which he intends to continue once his days in the NFL are finished.
"The goal for me in life is to never get it twisted," he says. "I've been around a lot of people with over $100 million in their bank account. We live in a world that chases money, fame and fortune all to get there and realize it isn't worth it. I've been around a lot of guys who have a lot of money and they're not miserable, but I've also been around a lot of guys who have a lot of money and they're not happy and still trying to find something.
"Giving back is a legacy I want to have. When you talk to me about people, I hope you talk about my heart. I want to be that to my wife and to my kids. That's what matters. That's the legacy I want to have. Maybe that's public speaking, community service, or just being a husband and a dad. Whatever that is, I want to continue to impact people the best that I can."
Exactly what has that little boy in Wiggins, Colorado, learned about himself during his journey, as he prepares for his eighth NFL season and second with the Bengals?
"If I've learned anything, it's that you can always be better," he says. "From little Dalton to now, as I look back on my journey, there's always room to grow and you should always be growing. There are so many things over the years that God has revealed to me that I need to work on. I've learned that I constantly need to try to become better at who I am and who I want to be. No one can look in the mirror and say, 'I made it,' or 'I'm perfect.' But chasing that and trying to resemble a life that looks like Jesus, while being in the NFL. The NFL has been one of the most difficult things because the NFL is a world set up against God, a world that's based off success and how my rings and wins and Super Bowls, and how much money you've made. It's a world that isn't all about love and it's been a hard balance.
"One thing I've learned about myself is that I'm always trying to get better and trying to grow and candidly there are things that I need to be better at. My present self, there for a while, I thought I had it figured out, especially in college, and especially when I was the All-American and a second-round draft pick. But when things hit the fan and life started hitting me hard, God started showing me there are things to work on and life isn't going to be sunshine and rainbows, and everyone has pain and a story, but those trials may mold me into the man He needs me to be, so when I become a husband and father, I'll be ready to lead a family and to be the man He called me to be, or maybe, when you have that platform in front of millions, you can be the man of God that He needs you to be. That's what I've learned most, and I take so much pride in that."
For now, the 2018 First Team All-American at Kansas State who played center, tackle and guard while starting in 50 of 51 games, lounges on a bright couch surrounded by bright walls in a living room that looks out at a large pool and a pond in a green-grass backyard.
"I'm Dalton Risner, and I'm in year eight, and I'm bald," Risner says, smoothing over the top of his head with a wide smile. "I feel incredibly blessed and grateful. Each year I've been molded for the better. God has taken me through so many storms just to get me to where I'm at today.
"I thought I was a pretty good guy at K-State, but He's taken me through a lot of hard stuff — family and football included — to bring me to the type of human, husband and father I can be. I'm really proud of that."
Risner was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 41st pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, holding the starting left guard position for four seasons, before he was placed on injured reserve with a partial UCL tear in his right elbow on January 3, 2023. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings on September 19, 2023, and was named the starting left guard in Week 7, and then he re-signed with the Vikings on May 31, 2024. He was placed on injured reserve to begin the 2024 season and was activated on November 2.
Fast-forward and the 30-year-old Risner is in his second year with the Cincinnati Bengals. Last year, he signed on August 27, 2025, and was named starting right guard in Week 2 and started more than a handful of games over the rest of the season.
That's the Cliff's notes recap of Risner's professional journey since leaving K-State as one of the top offensive linemen in school history.
Today, he resides at his home in Sarasota, Florida.
"I've been grinding in OTAs in Cincinnati," he says. "I worked Monday through Thursday afternoon, hopped on a flight and came back to Sarasota, Florida, I'm at my Florida house with the pool out back with the pond. I'm headed back Sunday for OTAs next week. I was just hanging out at Joe Burrow's house yesterday. He's a really cool guy. I've been getting booked for a few keynote speeches, so I've been traveling around speaking, which has been good."
What prompted Risner's decision to make a home in Sarasota?
"We played our four years in Denver and they didn't resign me," Risner says. "I said to my wife, Whitney, 'Where do you want to go?' She said, 'I've always dreamed of living by the beach.' I said, 'Let's move to Florida.' And we did. A few months later in September 2023 the Minnesota Vikings called and signed me to a contract and it's been a blast ever since. We've lived here three years. This last offseason we just bought a house in Overland Park, Kansas, so we'll be living there at some points in the year. That's where Whitney's family is from. So, as we start a family it's going to be fun to be close to her family.
"We got pregnant last year. We had a miscarriage at 10 weeks, which was incredibly hard. We're recovering from that and are trying to start a family, which we're excited for."
Imagine 6-foot-5, 330-pound Risner rocking a baby. With his giving heart, he will be an awesome dad. Already, he has ample experience in impacting others in a very positive way. The itch was born when young Dalton was bullied and left out of the fun because classmates made fun of his weight back home in Wiggins, Colorado. Today, Risner annually doles out a $5,000 scholarship to a Wiggins High School student, personally reviewing each application, conducting Zoom interviews, and then teaming up with Whitney to decide upon that year's recipient.
"I flew to Wiggins in February and always speak to the kindergarten-thru-12th grades and walk around the classrooms and I meet with the superintendent and the principal," he says. "I go to the gas station, and I eat at the one restaurant."
It's Wiggins, Colorado, a tiny town of 800 people with its fields and farms, where this dream started.
"One thing I've always talked about is I've always dreamed big," Risner says. "I believed I could do anything. In all my speeches, I say don't let anybody tell you what you can't do. After Jesus there's no greater power than believing in yourself. We set limitations as humans constantly. A lot of parents put ceilings on their kids because they set limits on themselves. My two parents let me dream.
"I'm so grateful for my childhood and my high school career. My dad took me to 15 to 20 camps a summer. I'm so grateful for Bill Snyder and Charlie Dickey believing in me at K-State. I've always believed in myself, man, and I'm going against the best players in the world. From that little boy in Wiggins, Colorado, to the bald guy in his eighth year in the NFL, believing in myself is something I've always felt strongly about."
Risner was named a 2018 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete as a four-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, and he also created the RiseUp Foundation to share his story, faith and passions, and which encouraged others to rise above and be a shining light in others' lives. What started as a modest video blog evolved into so much more, including countless speaking engagements, and contributions from other young people.
Once a week, Risner visited a home for children with special needs. He served as a big brother to a young boy battling leukemia and continues to visit him each year, and is a strong presence at Camp Hope, a place where children and teens diagnosed with cancer can bond over a shared love of the outdoors, and being struck by their positive outlook in even the direst of circumstances. He visited retirement communities, volunteered with local elementary schools and helped with the Flint Hills Breadbasket.
For his selfless efforts, Risner was named 2018 Big 12 Conference Sportsperson of the Year.
"Turned out that the name 'The Rise Up Foundation' was already taken, and I quickly learned about trademarks," Risner says, laughing. "But we had some fun that last year at K-State doing that. That was a really cool time. I think back to K-State all the time. So much has changed and I've changed so much, but one thing that hasn't changed is my heart for people, and that's still one of the greatest joys I have aside from playing football.
"Football is great, but the power of impacting somebody's life has always been one of my greatest joys. My wife and I always ask the question, 'What's the one thing you love about me the most?' One thing I love the most about my wife is the way she treats people. I'm not perfect, but impacting somebody in a positive way is an incredible feeling."
Today, The RisnerUp Foundation only strengthens by the year, as Risner positively impacts others through love and kindness, offering a helping hand and aiming to lift spirits, generate smiles and spread the word of God. The RisnerUp Foundation features a newsletter and a strong social media presence that often details the day-to-day doings of one of the most giving men in the NFL.
"I want to make people feel good," Risner says. "Life is hard. There's so much pain in life. Why would we ever want to treat somebody the way we don't want to be treated? I always promised and envisioned that if I was able to do something through football and build a platform that I'd always use it to glorify God and impact people. The Rise Up was started because of Kansas State fans. People asked, 'What's your plan with this?' At the time, I didn't have one. I just loved giving back. I went to nursing homes and spoke to schools. It began with Rise Up and that turned into Risner Up. Every two weeks on social media you see what we're doing — scholarships, speaking engagements."
Meanwhile, one effort in particular remains dear to Risner's heart: Special Olympics.
Risner serves as a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics along with NBA star Devin Booker, former All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles, Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, and former NBA All-Star Yao Ming. As icons of success from diverse industries such as sports, music, entertainment, media, and beyond, Special Olympics Global Ambassadors lend their time, talent and resources to support the Special Olympics mission. They're inspirational role models who share a belief in the power to come together and break down barriers.
"Michael Carpenter, intellectual disability, Manhattan Special Olympics, is where it truly all started for me with Mike Finnegan and the Leadership Studies class we took as freshmen football players at K-State," Risner says. "That's where I met Michael and was introduced to Special Olympics. Today, I'm a Special Olympics Global Ambassador, and Special Olympics chairperson in Colorado and in Kansas. I get so much joy being a part of the Special Olympics organization because that's where my love for giving back really started and I saw that this is what I loved. I visit Michael and his family every year at his house and we play ping-pong."
Risner's stops in the state of Kansas doesn't stop inside the Carpenter's home. While at K-State, Risner asked for names of any child that was battling cancer in hopes of being a big brother to that person. His gold heart hit a gold mine when he was introduced to Camp Hope.
"Camp Hope is a camp I started going to over 10 years ago and I've gone back four or five times, and I go back to Colbert Hills Golf Course every year and run a golf tournament for Camp Hope, and donate a whole day, and travel and buy flights," Risner says. "This year, I'm driving down to Great Bend for Camp Hope, which I found out about through my K-State teammate Nick Walsh in 2014. I went to my first Camp Hope thinking I was going to impact them, but they impacted me. That's an organization and event I've very near and dear to.
"When I left Kansas State, I made promises to multiple people and families that I wasn't doing this for the Campbell Trophy, the AFCA Good Works Team, the Jason Witten Man of the Year. These people meant a lot to me."
Risner started what he calls "Impact Call Day."
Near the top of the list is Kayden Hampton, who lives in Topeka and was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was paralyzed at age 3, but who was able to walk again at age 4 as his parents fought to save his life. Risner, then a junior All-American at K-State — the Hamptons did not know that Risner played football — drove to visit Kayden regularly for dinners or ice cream. Kayden went into remission at age 6 and Risner was with the Hampton family for his last bloodwork.
"I'm a very detail-oriented guy," Risner says. "Once a month, I spend four hours calling people. Kayden had leukemia and was put on remission while I was at K-State, and now Kayden is about to be in high school. I talk to him once a month. I call Kayden and Michael Carpenter, and I used to call (legendary K-State football head secretary) Joan Friederich before she passed away, and there's a young man named Isaac while I was a Bronco and he lost his dad to an addiction, and I call him. I visit Isaac when I'm in town. There's a boy named Jayden who I met at a football camp, and I promised his mom that I'd be in his life because he lost his dad. Jayden's in high school now. I call him once a month and visit him when I'm in town. Shelby, I met at Camp Hope. She had eight brain surgeries before she was seven years old. I promised her family I'd be in her life. I just had lunch with her and her family two months ago. I call her once a month.
"Man, there are so many behind-the-scenes things. I tell Whitney all the time, I get home from work and spend hours and say, 'How does everybody do this?' She says, 'They're not making calls to 10 different kids and aren't taking flights to visit the state of Kansas and Colorado and Missouri to visit kids.' I take a lot of pride in it, bro."
He pauses.
"Man, he says, "I don't tell a lot of people about it."
Whether it's Colorado, Minnesota or Cincinnati, from football camps to building houses to serving meals, Risner sets no boundaries on his community support. In Colorado, he partnered with Mountain Breeze Heating and Air to install an HVAC system into a family's home. He partnered with United Healthcare to do a cost giveaway for adults and children at the Mission. He dropped off clothes and served meals during the holidays and during a normal week. He hosted a "Night at the Museum" charity dinner at the Children's Museum of Denver.
Shortly after arriving in Minnesota, Risner sponsored and hosted a Thanksgiving dinner party at the West 7th Salvation Army in St. Paul, where more than a dozen local families enjoyed hot turkey dinners. It was such a success that Risner did it again the following Thanksgiving.
"One thing I've found through all of this is there are a lot of people who can show up to events and write a check, and giving financially is incredibly important, but what's more important is our time," Risner says. "I don't go to an event to write a check, take a picture, and be in the newspaper. I go to an event to impact lives. I'll show up early, I'll sign autographs, I'll stay late, and 90% of it is unseen and behind closed doors. I don't do it to get noticed or for an award, I do it to glorify God."
But the Broncos took note of Risner's deeds in the community and named Risner their nominee for the 2022-23 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
"I was a final for the Jason Witten Man of the Year Award when I was at K-State and that was special, but the Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination? I was blindsided by it," Risner says. "To me, that's one of the highest honors in the NFL to impact people in a positive way. I was so elated to represent the Broncos in the Super Bowl, but I'm going to be giving back consistently and constantly whether or not there's an award."
Most recently, Risner was challenged by Bengals center Ted Karras for a friendly competition in running the Queen City Running 5K, the premier race of Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. Risner and Karras ran to support The Cincy Hat, the charity founded by Karras in 2022.
Something crazy happened on May 2. Risner, who had never run 3.2 miles in his life, beat Karras in the 5K race.
The feat the 5K comes with a story of its own.
"A little background," Risner says. "Through my football journey, I've been a free agent from five to seven months sometimes — 'on the street.' Year five, I showed up to the Minnesota Vikings in September and hadn't played in a football game since the past January, my last year with the Denver Broncos. I was in Minnesota for two or three weeks before I made my first start against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. I take so much pride in that because of all the mornings that it was 6:00 a.m., nobody woke me up, I and I pushed myself, and I lifted and ran, and walked to a local park two minutes down my street where there were mailboxes and a patch of grass where people stop for their dogs to poop and that's where I worked out. People might think NFL players are at $50 million resorts every day with nice turf and a beautiful gym. My story is different. I did that for seven months, and without Jesus and my wife, it wouldn't have been possible. Then three weeks later, I showed up in Minnesota and played.
"Last year, I had the same opportunity. I wasn't happy with my contract offers. Every offseason, I've had the opportunity to take a league-minimum deal with a team, but I've battled with owners and general managers on getting better deals. I was faced with another decision. I'd been a free agent for seven months, and I was here in my garage working out, and taking 45-pound plates and walking around the pond, and going to that patch of grass. I had my cleats on and was going through my blocks and here I am a 6-foot-5, 330-pound man and this man walked by and said, 'That's a hell of a fantasy football team you're on.' He laughed. I thought about that and was like, 'If he only knew I'm in the NFL and in the grind of my life.' I realized I could be done, so I took the league-minimum deal at Cincinnati and six days later played in the Dawg Pound against Myles Garrett and earned my spot and played so well that the Bengals re-signed me."
Risner's training paid off for multiple reasons, including one to help raise money for Karras' charity.
"With my training, I had developed a regiment," Risner says. "Through four years and long offseasons, I got into long-distance running and fasting. Fasting is very spiritual, mental and physical. At the same time, I was running, and got down to 6 minutes, 54 seconds as my mile PR that offseason. But I never thought I could run a 5K. Ted Karras, our center, challenged me to run a 5K. He messed with the wrong guy because all these years I'd fasted and ran and had found a love in it. I loved running. Who would think a 330-pound man would love running? It's so peaceful for me.
"I'm so proud of that 5K on May 2 because I never thought I could run 3.2 miles without stopping. Whitney and I ran it together. I ran the 5K in just over 26 minutes. To me, it was a testament to the last three or four years of my life and the endless number of runs I'd taken that nobody knew about and all the times I was at that local park. It was a bigger deal to me than people thought."
Make no mistake, Risner is a big deal when it comes to good works from the heart, which he intends to continue once his days in the NFL are finished.
"The goal for me in life is to never get it twisted," he says. "I've been around a lot of people with over $100 million in their bank account. We live in a world that chases money, fame and fortune all to get there and realize it isn't worth it. I've been around a lot of guys who have a lot of money and they're not miserable, but I've also been around a lot of guys who have a lot of money and they're not happy and still trying to find something.
"Giving back is a legacy I want to have. When you talk to me about people, I hope you talk about my heart. I want to be that to my wife and to my kids. That's what matters. That's the legacy I want to have. Maybe that's public speaking, community service, or just being a husband and a dad. Whatever that is, I want to continue to impact people the best that I can."
Exactly what has that little boy in Wiggins, Colorado, learned about himself during his journey, as he prepares for his eighth NFL season and second with the Bengals?
"If I've learned anything, it's that you can always be better," he says. "From little Dalton to now, as I look back on my journey, there's always room to grow and you should always be growing. There are so many things over the years that God has revealed to me that I need to work on. I've learned that I constantly need to try to become better at who I am and who I want to be. No one can look in the mirror and say, 'I made it,' or 'I'm perfect.' But chasing that and trying to resemble a life that looks like Jesus, while being in the NFL. The NFL has been one of the most difficult things because the NFL is a world set up against God, a world that's based off success and how my rings and wins and Super Bowls, and how much money you've made. It's a world that isn't all about love and it's been a hard balance.
"One thing I've learned about myself is that I'm always trying to get better and trying to grow and candidly there are things that I need to be better at. My present self, there for a while, I thought I had it figured out, especially in college, and especially when I was the All-American and a second-round draft pick. But when things hit the fan and life started hitting me hard, God started showing me there are things to work on and life isn't going to be sunshine and rainbows, and everyone has pain and a story, but those trials may mold me into the man He needs me to be, so when I become a husband and father, I'll be ready to lead a family and to be the man He called me to be, or maybe, when you have that platform in front of millions, you can be the man of God that He needs you to be. That's what I've learned most, and I take so much pride in that."
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