Thanks to his strong play on the field as a special teams ace and captain for the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with the way he carries himself professionally, safety Miles Killebrew is the Steelers’ nominee for the 2024 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
According to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, the NFL released the list of nominees for all 32 teams just a few moments ago.
The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award is meant to signify the player that demonstrates on the field qualities of great sportsmanship including fair play, respect for opponents, and integrity in competition. The award is named in honor of Art Rooney Sr., the founding owner of the Steelers.
The award was established in 2014 and was named after Rooney because of the class he brought to the NFL and his consistent demonstration of sportsmanship as an owner.
Steelers’ defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi was the team’s nominee last season for the award, while outside linebacker Alex Highsmith was the nominee for the Steelers in 2022. No Steelers nominee has won the award since it was created.
Former Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman and current Miami Dolphins player Calais Campbell won the award in 2022, while former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner won it last season. Other past winners include Larry Fitzgerald, Charles Woodson, Frank Gore, Luke Kuechly, Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson, Teddy Bridgewater and Matthew Slater.
Killebrew is one of 32 nominees announced Monday as the list starts at 32, before being narrowed down to eight finalists in early December. The player who ultimately receives the award, announced at the annual NFL Honors show the night before the Super Bowl, will have $25,000 donated on his behalf to the charity of his choice.
Elsewhere in the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens’ nominee is OLB Kyle Van Noy, the Cincinnati Bengals’ nominee is Mike Hilton, and the Cleveland Browns’ nominee is Rodney McLeod.
