Lamar Jackson is having a special season, one that could lead to many honors once it concludes.
The NFL announced Thursday that Jackson is the Ravens' nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, which recognizes players around the NFL who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field.
One player from each of the 32 teams is nominated for the award created in 2014 in honor of Art Rooney Sr., the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. A panel of former NFL players will narrow the finalists to eight players, four from each conference.
Current players will vote for the winner among the eight finalists, with players not allowed to vote for a teammate. The winner will be announced Feb. 1 at NFL Honors, the night before the Super Bowl.
In addition to having an MVP-caliber season, Jackson has earned kudos for how he conducts himself both on and off the field.
In Week 4 against the Steelers, Jackson drew praise for stopping to help a photographer to her feet after he was forced out of bounds and accidently knocked her over.
Jackson also helped his offensive linemen up from the goal line following a run that was stopped in Week 9 against the Patriots.
After taking a big hit on a touchdown pass Sunday in Cincinnati, Jackson was helped up and patted Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard on the helmet.
Jackson's success hasn't changed the way he treats people, which makes it no surprise he is the Ravens' nominee for the Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
"Obviously, Lamar is our leader," tight end Mark Andrews said. "We follow him, and he's done a great job of staying humble with all this spotlight and buzz and people kind of catching on to the type of the player that he can be. He's done a great job of staying true to himself and playing for his teammates."
