The NFL announced the eight finalists for the 2020 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. Each year, the award is presented 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. The finalists featured four players from each conference.

Finalists in the AFC include:

  • Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell
  • Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward
  • Indianapolis Colts defensive end Justin Houston
  • New England Patriots wide receiver Matthew Slater

Finalists in the NFC include:

  • Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David
  • Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce
  • San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk

A panel of Legends from the NFL Legends Community selected the eight finalists from the 32 NFL club nominees. The panel is composed of Warrick Dunn, Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler. The eight finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category.

“You try to think about the man who is representing the organization, their teammates and also what they are doing on the football field – the impact they are having,” said Dunn. “You want guys who display leadership, who go above and beyond, who think about their teammates before they think about themselves. It is always hard to narrow down the list of individuals for this award.”

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

2020 ART ROONEY SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD FINALISTS

 

 

NOMINEE

TEAM

CONFERENCE

QB Teddy Bridgewater

Carolina Panthers

NFC

DE Calais Campbell

Baltimore Ravens

AFC

LB Lavonte David

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC

DT Cameron Heyward

Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC

DE Justin Houston

Indianapolis Colts

AFC

FB Kyle Juszczyk

San Francisco 49ers

NFC

C Jason Kelce

Philadelphia Eagles

NFC

WR Matthew Slater

New England Patriots

AFC

Campbell is a finalist for the third consecutive season, while Slater is a finalist for the second straight year and third time overall. David has been nominated in each of the past three seasons, while this is Heyward’s second nomination for the award. Bridgewater, Houston, Juszczyk and Kelce are all first-time nominees in 2020.

The winner of the NFL 2020 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.

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