NFL News: 32 Players Nominated for 2023 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

By Lydia Jane Allison

Art Rooney. By Cropped from Believe poster, Fair use, https en.wikipedia.org

 

Winner to be revealed as part of NFL Honors before Super Bowl LVIII

NEW YORK — Nov. 22, 2023 — The 32 player nominees for the ninth annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award have been finalized, the NFL announced today. Each NFL team nominated one of its players for the award, which recognizes players around the league who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field.

Created in 2014, the award honors the late founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Rooney Sr.

A panel of former players from the NFL Legends Community — Warrick Dunn, 2014 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award recipient Larry Fitzgerald, Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin and Leonard Wheeler —  will select eight finalists (four in the AFC and four in the NFC) from the 32 nominees. The eight finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when players vote in December.

“Sportsmanship is the core of the game, the vanguard of public confidence, the keeper of game integrity,” said Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of football operations. “These Rooney Sportsmanship Award nominees exemplify the spirit of fair play and the values of respect, integrity, commitment to team and resiliency at the highest level of competition.”

The award is presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents and integrity in competition.​

2023 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award Nominees

 

Team Player   Team Player
Arizona Cardinals Budda Baker   Las Vegas Raiders Maxx Crosby
Atlanta Falcons Jake Matthews   Los Angeles Chargers Khalil Mack
Baltimore Ravens Kevin Zeitler   Los Angeles Rams Jordan Fuller
Buffalo Bills Mitch Morse   Miami Dolphins Durham Smythe
Carolina Panthers Adam Thielen   Minnesota Vikings Danielle Hunter
Chicago Bears T.J. Edwards   New England Patriots David Andrews
Cincinnati Bengals Tyler Boyd   New Orleans Saints Erik McCoy
Cleveland Browns Joel Bitonio   New York Giants Bobby Okereke
Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott   New York Jets C.J. Mosley
Denver Broncos Lloyd Cushenberry III   Philadelphia Eagles Fletcher Cox
Detroit Lions Taylor Decker   Pittsburgh Steelers Larry Ogunjobi
Green Bay Packers Aaron Jones   San Francisco 49ers Kyle Juszczyk
Houston Texans Robert Woods   Seattle Seahawks Bobby Wagner
Indianapolis Colts DeForest Buckner   Tampa Bay Buccaneers Chris Godwin
Jacksonville Jaguars Foyesade Oluokun   Tennessee Titans Morgan Cox
Kansas City Chiefs Trent McDuffie   Washington Commanders Logan Thomas​

The winner of the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award is determined by a vote of current NFL players. From the eight finalists, each team’s players will submit a consensus vote of their choice for the winner. As in Pro Bowl voting, a team cannot vote for its own player.

The winner will be announced as part of NFL Honors. He will receive a $25,000 donation from the NFL Foundation to a charity of his choice.

​Previous Recipients of the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

 

Year Player Team
2022 DT Calais Campbell Baltimore Ravens
2021 WR Matthew Slater New England Patriots
2020 QB Teddy Bridgewater Carolina Panthers
2019 RB Adrian Peterson Washington Football Team
2018 QB Drew Brees New Orleans Saints
2017 LB Luke Kuechly Carolina Panthers
2016 RB Frank Gore Indianapolis Colts
2015 CB Charles Woodson Oakland Raiders
2014 WR Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Cardinals

 

COURTESY NFL COMMUNICATIONS

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