Nominees named for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

NEW YORK -- Veterans Drew Brees, Julius Peppers, Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis are among the 32 nominees for the NFL's Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Each team nominates a player for the award, created in 2014 in honor of the late founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a Pro Football Hall of Famer. The award recognizes players around the league who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field.

The winner is determined by a vote of current NFL players. From 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.

Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly won the Rooney Award last year. Before that, winners were running back Frank Gore, then with the Indianapolis Colts; defensive back Charles Woodson of the Oakland Raiders; and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals. Gore is nominated again this year, by Miami.

This year's nominees:

• Arizona Cardinals -- DT Corey Peters


• Atlanta Falcons -- C Alex Mack


• Baltimore Ravens -S Eric Weddle


• Buffalo Bills- DT Kyle Williams


• Carolina Panthers- DE Julius Peppers


• Chicago Bears -C Cody Whitehair


• Cincinnati Bengals- WR A.J. Green


• Cleveland Browns -OL Joel Bitonio


• Dallas Cowboys- QB Dak Prescott



• Denver Broncos -DT Domata Peko


• Detroit Lions- LS Don Muhlbach


• Green Bay Packers- CB Tramon Williams


• Houston Texans- CB Johnathan Joseph


• Indianapolis Colts- QB Andrew Luck


• Jacksonville Jaguars -- DE Calais Campbell


• Kansas City Chiefs- WR Sammy Watkins


• Los Angeles Chargers -- TE Antonio Gates


• Los Angeles Rams -RB Todd Gurley


• Miami Dolphins- RB Frank Gore


• Minnesota Vikings- DE Danielle Hunter


• New England Patriots -- WR Matthew Slater



• New Orleans Saints -QB Drew Brees


• New York Giants -TE Rhett Ellison


• New York Jets- DL Steve McLendon


• Oakland Raiders -QB Derek Carr


• Philadelphia Eagles -QB Carson Wentz


• Pittsburgh Steelers -G David DeCastro


• San Francisco 49ers -T Joe Staley


• Seattle Seahawks -WR Tyler Lockett


• Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- LB Lavonte David


• Tennessee Titans -QB Marcus Mariota


• Washington Redskins -TE Vernon Davis