The eighth annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award set of nominees has been announced, and Grady Jarrett is being recognized as the Falcons player that exemplifies the most outstanding sportsmanship on the field.
Here are the 32 players nominated for 2022 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award pic.twitter.com/rIabutSY8E
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 22, 2022
The award honors Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Rooney Sr., the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The voting shakes out in two parts. First, a panel — Warrick Dunn, Larry Fitzgerald, Curtis Martin, and Leonard Wheeler — will select eight finalists out of the 32 nominees with four coming from each conference. Then, those eight will be voted on by the players during the Pro Bowl in December.
“These Rooney Sportsmanship Award nominees exemplify the fiercest competition combined with the excellence of sportsmanship,” said Troy Vincent, EVP of Football Operations of the NFL, via the league’s site. “It reflects the very values of respect, resilience, and fairness that inspire both teammates and opponents to be the best in the world.”
Grady Jarrett is having a phenomenal season and will likely be recognized with Pro Bowl and/or All-Pro honors. The veteran defensive tackle leads the team with 5.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, and 14 pressures. He’s been a one-man wrecking crew for the Falcons this year. Even more impressive, Jarrett has logged three passes defended, which is as many as Isaiah Oliver and Darren Hall. He’s on pace for a career-high 8.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss (T-career high), 18 quarterback hits, and 21 pressures over a 17-game season.
All his teammates and coaches do is praise the man; he’s exactly what NFL franchises want in their star players. Jarrett is a class act and should be considered a favorite to win this award, along with a few other league honors by the end of the year.
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