Thanks to his cooperation with the local media throughout the 2023 season, Pittsburgh Steelers veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson won “The Chief” award Wednesday, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
“The Chief” award is given annually to the top Pittsburgh Steelers player for his personality and cooperation with local media. Peterson won the award in his first season with the team. Last season, center Mason Cole won the award in his first season with the team. In previous years, defensive lineman Cameron Heyward won the award in 2021 and 2019, while former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger won the award in 2020.
“The Chief” award was established in 1988 in honor of Steelers founder, Art Rooney, Sr., who was affectionately referred to as “The Chief.”
“First and foremost, I would like to say it is an honor to be receiving this award. This is my second, I guess award, that I’ve received from a team regarding the media. I appreciate you guys, first and foremost as well, because you guys make my job easier on getting the message out and for the, the viewers and listeners to, to see the point of view that I’m coming from,” Peterson said to reporters after winning the award, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “Obviously the past winners like Cam Heyward, Joe Haden, we got Ryan Clark, all of those guys embodied the spirit and…cooperating with you guys whenever they needed to be needed.
“So, again, this is my first year here. It’s a pleasure to have received this award. And I just want to try to leave this organization in good hands and lead by a good example for these young pups. So I appreciate it again, guys.”
Peterson, who signed a two-year deal in free agency with the Steelers, was a media personality himself coming into Pittsburgh, thanks to his “All Things Covered” podcast with co-host and former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden, which was previously on the CBS Sports platform.
Not only has his play in the last few months been quite good for the Steelers, Peterson’s presence off the field and in the locker room have been huge for the Steelers. He’s been out front with the media answering all the tough questions, being a voice of reason for the Steelers. His personality is welcoming, and he understands the role of the media when it comes to the NFL, making him a player easily approachable and good for some interesting quotes each and every session.
A list of past The Chief award recipients:
1988: Dan Rooney
1989: Dwayne Woodruff
1990: Merril Hoge
1991: Gerald Williams
1992: Tunch Ilkin
1993: D.J. Johnson
1994: Rod Woodson
1995: Levon Kirkland
1996: Chad Brown
1997: Darren Perry
1998: Jerome Bettis
1999: Lee Flowers
2000: Jerome Bettis/Deshea Townsend
2001: Lee Flowers
2002: Hines Ward
2003: Mike Logan
2004: Jerome Bettis
2005: Alan Faneca
2006: Brett Keisel/Deshea Townsend
2007: Alan Faneca
2008: Ryan Clark
2009: James Farrior
2010: Ben Roethlisberger
2011: James Farrior
2012: Casey Hampton
2013: Ike Taylor
2014: Cameron Heyward
2015: Ramon Foster
2016: Arthur Moats
2017: David DeCastro
2018: Joe Haden
2019: Cameron Heyward
2020: Ben Roethlisberger
2021: Cameron Heyward
2022: Mason Cole
