Lorenzo Alexander named finalist for Art Rooney Sportsmanship award

Veteran linebacker Lorenzo Alexander is a leader on the playing field, earning the right to don the game-day “C” on his jersey each week as one of the captains of the Buffalo Bills.

Off the field, Alexander’s charitable efforts have earned him recognition as a finalist for the fourth annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. Each NFL team nominated one of its players for the award, which recognizes players around the league who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on and off the field.

Alexander, an 11th-year veteran out of the University of California, is one of the most respected leaders in the Bills’ locker room. He has appeared in nine games (eight starts), amassing 56 tackles (43 solo, 13 assisted) with two sacks. He has also forced three fumbles.

Off the field, Alexander founded the ACES foundation, which promotes a healthy mind and body through sports while supporting accountability, education, and community mindedness in youth. He’s very active in the local community, and raised money for the Make LemonAide Foundation for cerebral palsy with 26Shirts.

Each year, the Rooney Sportsmanship Award is presented 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.

The award was created in 2014 in honor of the late Art Rooney Sr., founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The other 2017 finalists are: Patrick Peterson (Arizona Cardinals), Ricardo Allen (Atlanta Falcons), Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens), Luke Kuechly (Carolina Panthers), Benny Cunningham (Chicago Bears), Carlos Dunlap (Cincinnati Bengals), Joe Thomas (Cleveland Browns), Travis Frederick (Dallas Cowboys), Von Miller (Denver Broncos), Haloti Ngata (Detroit Lions), Morgan Burnett (Green Bay Packers), Shane Lechler (Houston Texans), T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts), Paul Posluszny (Jacksonville Jaguars), Alex Smith (Kansas City Chiefs), Antonio Gates (Los Angeles Chargers), Rodger Saffold (Los Angeles Rams), Jermon Bushrod (Miami Dolphins), Brian Robison (Minnesota Vikings), Matthew Slater (New England Patriots), Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints), Justin Pugh (New York Giants), Josh McCown (New York Jets), Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders), Brent Celek (Philadelphia Eagles), Cameron Heyward (Pittsburgh Steelers), Joe Staley (San Francisco 49ers), Cliff Avril (Seattle Seahawks), Gerald McCoy (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans), and Vernon Davis (Washington Redskins).