Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu nominated for the 2024 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

The Honey Badger aims to join Drew Brees as the second player in franchise history to earn this prestigious award.

New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu has been nominated to represent the club for the 2024 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Introduced in 2014, this prestigious commendation recognizes those who embody the characteristics of outstanding sportsmanship in honor of the late founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Rooney Sr. Whether it’s your respect for the game and opponents or integrity in competition, this award is given to an individual who exemplifies the true qualities of on-field sportsmanship. Last season, star center Erik McCoy was the Saints’ nominee for the award.

A panel of four former players from the NFL Legends Community, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, 2014 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award recipient and expected first-ballot Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, 2004 Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient Warrick Dunn, and current NFL Executive Director Leonard Wheeler, will choose between eight finalists (four from each conference) out of the 32 nominees. When players are able to vote in December, the eight finalists will appear on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category.

Photo by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images

The winner of the award is decided through a vote of active NFL players. Out of the eight finalists, each team’s players will cast a collective vote. However, a team is prohibited from voting for its own player, similar to Pro Bowl voting. The recipient of the 11th annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award will be revealed during the NFL Honors ceremony in February and will receive a $25,000 donation from the NFL Foundation to his preferred charity.

Saints legend and future first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees won this award in 2018, while his former backup and fan favorite in New Orleans, Teddy Bridgewater, received the award in 2020 as a member of the Carolina Panthers.