Frank Gore

Brees, Peppers, Davis, Gates among sportsmanship nominees

Published Nov. 14, 2018 10:02 a.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) — 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