Texans DE Jerry Hughes Named Finalist For Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Hughes, a native of Sugar Land, Texas, was one of eight finalists named by the NFL on Thursday for the prestigious award.

Houston Texans defensive end Jerry Hughes has been named as one of eight finalists for the 2022 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, as announced by the NFL on Thursday.

The award, named after the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner, has been handed out annually since 2014 to a player “who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.”

Throughout his 13-year career, Hughes has embodied the spirit of sportsmanship. He was selected in the first round (31 overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Since that time, he has played in 196 games (145 starts) with the Colts (2010-12), Buffalo Bills (2013-2021) and the Texans (2022). 

The 34-year-old has compiled 66.0 sacks, notched 91 tackles for loss and 137 quarterback hits, all of which all rank in the top 20 among active players. Hughes' 53.0 sacks as a Buffalo Bill also rank fourth all-time in franchise history.

In May 2022, Hughes signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Texans. Thus far, the native of Sugar Land, Texas has had a successful homecoming. In addition to being named a team captain, he has logged eight sacks, which is tied for 11th-most in the NFL and the third-most he's recorded through the first 13 weeks of any season over his career. 

He has also registered three multi-sack games, tied for the second-most multi-sack games in the NFL this season, per houstontexans.com. His accomplishments have been a true bright spot for the Texans' defense, in an otherwise tumultuous year. 

The finalists, featuring four players from each conference, are defensive end Calais Campbell (Baltimore), running back Nick Chubb (Cleveland), and defensive end Max Crosby (Las Vegas) in the AFC. Linebacker Lavonte David (Tampa Bay), running back Dalvin Cook (Minnesota), running back Aaron Jones (Green Bay) and fullback Kyle Juszcyck (San Francisco) in the NFC.

The eight finalists were chosen among 32 nominees (one per each NFL team) from a panel of four former players from the NFL Legends Community.From here, the decision will be handed over to the players. Each team’s body of players will vote as one, with teams unable to vote for their own candidates.

The winner of the award will be announced as part of the NFL Honors ceremony ahead of Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL

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