Three-year Pittsburgh Steelers special teams captain Miles Killebrew was announced as the team’s nominee for the NFL’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award on Monday, an honor presented to “a player for their on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.”
A safety by trade, Killebrew has been one of the best of his generation at blocking punts. A 32-year-old, nine-year NFL veteran who is in his fourth season with the Steelers, Killebrew has served as the captain of its special teams units since 2022. He was the AP All-Pro specialist last season.
Named after Art Rooney Sr., the founder of the Steelers, the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award has been given out since 2014. One player from each of the 32 teams is nominated, and that group is pared down to four finalists each from the AFC and NFC by a committee of ex-players. Current players then vote on the winner, which will be announced the night before the Super Bowl.
No Steelers player has won the award.
Pro Bowl balloting
Fan voting for the Pro Bowl began Monday and will continue through Dec. 23. Fans can access the league’s online ballot, and the Steelers have one on their webpage that directs votes to Steelers players.
Fans can vote on X (formerly Twitter) between Dec. 9-23, with votes those final two days counting double.
Twenty-six Steelers players are on the ballot, including Calvin Austin III both as a receiver and return specialist. There are 27 voting positional categories — 12 each on offense and defense and five specialists.
Fan voting counts as one-third of the balloting. Players and coaches also will vote for the Pro Bowl, which now does not involve a real football game and instead is a series of events including a flag-football game played the week before the Super Bowl.
