The 32 nominees for the 2025 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award have been finalized.
New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones finds himself among them, the NFL announced Wednesday.
The organization circled the all-purpose threat for the 12th annual honor, which was created in the name of the late founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Famer.
The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award recognizes players around the league who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field and best demonstrate the qualities of fair play, respect for the game and opponents and integrity in competition.
“He embodies everything that we’re looking for here in a player and a teammate on the field and in the community,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said of the re-up earlier this fall. “Something we were excited about doing. Glad that he wanted to get that done and wanted to be with us moving forward.”
The former All-American and Paul Hornung Award winner’s tenure with New England spans 43 games and 20 starts.
As a rookie, Jones earned first-team All-Pro honors while leading the NFL in punt return yards. He has gone on to amass 151 tackles, 28 passes defensed, one sack, five fumble recoveries, six interceptions and two touchdown returns in the secondary. The 5-foot-8, 188-pound product of Troy and Houston also stands with one touchdown as a wide receiver and two touchdowns as a punt returner.
His career includes 1,569 snaps on defense, 24 snaps on offense and 278 snaps on special teams.
A panel of ex-players from the NFL Legends Community will select eight finalists — four from the AFC and four from the NFC. Those finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when active players cast their votes to reach a consensus in December.
The winner of the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, which will be announced as part of NFL Honors leading up to Super Bowl LX, will receive a $25,000 donation from the NFL Foundation to a charity of their choice.
Longtime Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater took home the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award in 2021.