Patriots special teams ace Matthew Slater nominated for NFL’s 2018 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Matthew Slater is one of the most respected players in the New England Patriots locker room. The special teams ace is an eight-year team captain, works as the Patriots’ player representative at the NFLPA, and traditionally breaks down the post-game huddle in the locker room. In short: Slater is as a leader both on and off the field.

It is therefore no surprise that the seven-time Pro Bowler, who received the prestigious Bart Starr Award last year, is listed as the Patriots’ nominee for yet another award — one that was first introduced in 2014 and honors sportsmanship: the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, named after the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner.

Each of the NFL’s 32 teams has nominated one player and the Patriots’ representative is Slater, as has been announced earlier today. In the next step, a panel of former players will determine eight finalists; in mid-December, each teams’ players will then vote as one for a finalist to receive the award (with teams unable to vote for their own candidates, because duh).

The winner of the award will be announced as part of the NFL Honors ceremony on the eve of Super Bowl 53. Not only will he receive a neat trophy but also a $25,000 donation from the league to a charity of his choice.