The Los Angeles named safety Jordan Fuller their nominee for the 2021 season’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
The award was created in honor of the late Pittsburgh Steelers Art Rooney and honors a player who “best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.” All 32 NFL teams have one representative and the winner of the award will be named at the annual NFL Honors awards presentation before Super Bowl LVI. The winner will also be awarded $25,000 donation from the NFL Foundation toward a charity of their choice.
From the pool of 32 players, a panel of former NFL players will narrow the field down to eight players, with four players each from the NFC and AFC. After the eight finalists are chosen, current players will vote for the winner once they receive their Pro Bowl ballots later in December.
Fuller, a sixth-round pick by the Rams in the 2020 NFL Draft, quickly established himself as a key piece in the secondary and was named one of the team’s captains for this season. Fuller has started 24 games for Los Angeles and has been one of the most consistent players for the defense, a welcomed development after the Rams lost several key contributors from last year’s No. 1 ranked unit in John Johnson III and Troy Hill.
Through 12 games with Los Angeles, Fuller has recorded a team-leading 90 tackles, four pass breakups and one tackle for loss. He is a true leader on the field and was entrusted with being the defensive signal-caller under defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
Currently at 8-4, Los Angeles remains in the mix for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and Fuller will need to play a big part if they hope to secure a bye during the 2021 NFL Playoffs. Nothing would be sweeter to see Fuller win the Art Rooney Award and for the Rams to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LVI in their home stadium.
