Wide receiver Torrey Smith is the Ravens' nominee for the new NFL Sportsmanship Award, which was announced Tuesday.
Each NFL team nominated one of its players for the award, which will honor 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."
A panel of former players from the NFL Legends Community will select eight finalists from the 32 nominees (four in the AFC and four in the NFC). The panel is comprised of former Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn, Jets running back Curtis Martin, former Broncos linebacker Karl Mecklenburg and former Bengals safety Leonard Wheeler.
Current NFL players will then vote for a winner on Dec. 19. From the eight finalists, each team's players will submit a consensus vote of its choice for the winner. As in Pro Bowl voting, a team cannot vote for its own player.
The winner selected by the vote of the players will be announced during the nationally televised "Fourth Annual NFL Honors" show on Saturday, Jan. 31 on NBC, the night before Super Bowl XLIX. He will receive a $25,000 donation from the NFL Foundation to a charity of his choice.
Smith has always kept a level head and respectful demeanor on the field.
"It's not that I'm not passionate or anything, it's just that I keep [my cool]," Smith said two weeks ago. "When I line up, I still want to dominate the person across from me. I want to score every single time I touch it.
"Steve [Smith Sr.] says, 'I want to take his lunch money.' It's that simple. But I don't have to be an aggressor outwardly after the play for everyone to think that way. No, I play to score and touch the ball, and when I get it, I need to make a play every single time."
