Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen has been nominated for the NFL’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, according to the Associated Press.
Also, Green Bay safety Morgan Burnett, who played at North Clayton High and Georgia Tech, and Pittsburgh defensive end Cameron Heyward, who played at Whitefield Academy and Peachtree Ridge High, were nominated.
The award, now in its fourth year, honors the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The award is presented to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.
One player from each team is nominated by current NFL players. A panel of former players selects eight finalists, four from each conference. That panel includes Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, Warrick Dunn, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler.
Those eight finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot when players vote on Dec. 15. As for the Pro Bowl, a team can't vote for its own player.
The award will be presented on Feb. 3, the night before the Super Bowl, at NFL Honors, when The Associated Press hands out its individual league awards. The recipient will receive a $25,000 donation to the charity of his choice.
Past winners have been Larry Fitzgerald, Charles Woodson and Frank Gore.
The nominees:
Arizona Cardinals, CB, Patrick Peterson
Atlanta Falcons, S, Ricardo Allen
Baltimore Ravens, QB, Joe Flacco
Buffalo Bills, LB, Lorenzo Alexander
Carolina Panthers, LB, Luke Kuechly
Chicago Bears, RB, Benny Cunningham
Cincinnati Bengals, DE, Carlos Dunlap
Cleveland Browns, T, Joe Thomas
Dallas Cowboys, C, Travis Frederick
Denver Broncos, LB, Von Miller
Detroit Lions, DT, Haloti Ngata
Green Bay Packers, S, Morgan Burnett
Houston Texans, P, Shane Lechler
Indianapolis Colts, WR, T.Y. Hilton
Jacksonville Jaguars, LB, Paul Posluszny
Kansas City Chiefs, QB, Alex Smith
Los Angeles Chargers, TE, Antonio Gates
Los Angeles Rams, G, Rodger Saffold
Miami Dolphins, G, Jermon Bushrod
Minnesota Vikings, DE, Brian Robison
New England Patriots, WR, Matthew Slater
New Orleans Saints, QB, Drew Brees
New York Giants, T, Justin Pugh
New York Jets, QB, Josh McCown
Oakland Raiders, QB. Derek Carr
Philadelphia Eagles, TE, Brent Celek
Pittsburgh Steelers, DE, Cameron Heyward
San Francisco 49ers, T, Joe Staley
Seattle Seahawks, DE, Cliff Avril
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DT, Gerald McCoy
Tennessee Titans, QB, Marcus Mariota
Washington Redskins, TE, Vernon Davis
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