Joe Staley Nominated for 2016 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

For the second-consecutive season, San Francisco 49ers left tackle Joe Staley has been selected as the team's nominee for the third annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The award was created in 2014 in honor of the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Rooney, Sr. It is presented annually to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.

Suiting up and being reliable are important parts in showing what type of person/player you are to not only your teammates, but your NFL peers. In a season that saw different starters at multiple positions for the 49ers, there was one lineman whose spot did not change the entire 2015 season and throughout 2016. Joe Staley started all 16 games at left tackle for San Francisco, something he's done in each of the past five total seasons and seven out of his nine years in the NFL. He has continued that trend and toughness into 2016, starting each of the team's first nine games protecting his quarterback's blindside.

Staley's demeanor and on-field success have resulted in the selection of five consecutive Pro Bowls and the honor of being nominated as a team captain in back-to-back seasons (2014-15). Off the field, prior to Super Bowl 50 held at Levi's Stadium in 2016, Staley gave away a pair of tickets and a signed game-worn jersey to single father Johnel Spivey and his seven-year old daughter, Jordan. Spivey, 54 had been on dialysis three days a week for the previous six years. During the 2015 offseason, he and his teammates invited Anthony Pineda, a 13-year-old who battled Leukemia, to be a "Captain for the Day" as part of ESPN's "My Wish" program. Pineda's initial invitation came from a video hosted by Staley, which displays the confidence in the type of person that he is, to make him the team "spokesperson" for this event. 

The winner of the NFL Sportsmanship Award is determined by a vote of current NFL players. A panel of former players from the NFL Legends Community will select eight finalists (four in the AFC and four in the NFC) from the 32 nominees. The panel is comprised of Warrick Dunn, Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler.

The eight finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when players vote on Friday, December 16. From the eight finalists, each team's players will submit a consensus vote of their choice for the winner. As in Pro Bowl voting, a team cannot vote for its own player.

For winning the award, Staley would receive a $25,000 donation from the NFL Foundation to a charity of his choice. He will also receive a trophy that represents the important role sportsmanship plays in the game and how NFL players that demonstrate integrity and honor on the field serve as role models for players at all levels.

**Full List of 2016 ART ROONEY SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD NOMINEES

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