GREEN BAY – For the second straight year, running back Aaron Jones is the Packers' nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
The award, created in 2014 and named after the late founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Rooney Sr., recognizes players who best demonstrate the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.
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. 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.
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.
Jones, the Packers' nominee for the 2021 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, has been an active participant in the Green Bay community since being drafted in the fifth round out of the University of Texas-El Paso in 2017.
Earlier this year, the Pro Bowl running back also was presented with the 2022 community service award at the Packers' annual Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce "Welcome Back Luncheon."
In partnership with his twin brother Alvin, Jones launched the A&A All the Way Foundation last year. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to making an impact in the lives of children through charitable giving and action, and it executes events that inspire, educate and promote unity and diversity across multiple communities.
Former Packers defensive back Charles Woodson is one of eight former recipients of the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. Woodson was honored as a member of the Oakland Raiders in 2015.
