Vikings + Packers Name Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award Nominees

On Thursday, the National Football League announced the 32 nominees for the 2020 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award and both the Vikings and Packers have nominated fan favorites.

The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award was created in 2014 to honor the late founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The award is designed to recognize players who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.

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Each of the 32 NFL teams nominates one player initially.  Then, according to NFL.com:

A panel of former players from the NFL Legends Community -- Warrick Dunn, Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler -- will select eight finalists (four in the AFC and four in the NFC) from the 32 nominees. The eight finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when players vote on Friday, December 18.

The Minnesota Vikings have nominated tight end Kyle Rudolph for the honor.  While not having his most productive season on the field so far this year, it's hard to argue that there's a player on the Vikings roster who better exemplifies the spirit of the award.

The Green Bay Packers have nominated quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the award. Rodgers is having another great season leading the Packers who are a lock for the playoffs and who are currently fighting for the #1 seed in NFC.

The winner of the 2019 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award was Adrien Peterson, who at the time was a member of the Washington Football Team. Peterson currently plays for the Detroit Lions.