Houston Texans defensive end Jerry Hughes was named as a finalist for the 2022 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, the NFL announced Thursday.
The award is presented annually to the player who, “demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition,” according to a release from the Texans.
Coach Lovie Smith remarked on Hughes’ leadership in the fact the Sugar Land, Texas, native was able to secure a captaincy in his first season with the Texans.
“It says a lot when you’re Jerry Hughes, and you will be one of the defensive captains when you’ve only been in the building less than a year, to have that kind of impact on your teammates,” said Smith. “Jerry’s a veteran rusher and a veteran player that’s done it the right way all his career.”
The 13-year veteran has 8.0 sacks, which are tied for the 11th-most in the league and third-most Hughes has tallied through the first 13 weeks of a season. Hughes also has the second-most multi-sack games in the league this year with three.
“There’s nothing that he does that surprises me,” defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire said. “It’s the consistency. He’s the same person all the time. I always say to people, how you do one thing is how you do everything. That’s how he is.”
The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award was created in 2014 in honor of the late founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Rooney Sr.
The award winner is determined by a vote of current players. From the eight finalists, each team’s players submit a consensus vote of their choice for the winner. Just like with Pro Bowl voting, a team cannot vote for its own player.
The other finalists are Baltimore Ravens DT Calais Campbell, Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb, Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby, Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook, Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Lavonte David, Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones, and San Francisco 49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk.