Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David has been named a nominee for the sixth annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The award recognizes players around the league who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field.
David has been a bright spot during some dark days for the Buccaneers. Head coach Bruce Arians put it best,
“I don’t know if you can quantitively put a value on his leadership – it’s so big, for a young guy to go to a guy, and for him – on the field, off the field, everywhere in life – to help these kids out the way he does, the ultimate pro is the only way I can say it. He is the ultimate pro.”
David isn’t just a great role model, he also produces on the field. The eight year veteran has led the league in solo tackles and opponent fumble recoveries since entering the league. Great stats, but there’s more, David is one of only two players in NFL history (Brian Urlacher) to record 800+ tackles, 20+ sacks and 10+ interceptions in his first seven seasons. There are 189 NFL players with 1,700 or more defensive snaps since the start of the 2017 season. Of those only two players haven’t committed penalty, Eric Weddle (2,671) and David (2,353).
The winner will be determined by a vote of the players and announced on the NFL Honors show February 1st on Fox. David is a leader in the locker room, on the field and in the stat line. He should be a leader for this award as well!
Sources: buccaneers.com, NFL.com, Fox Sports, Tampa Bay Times
Photo credit: buccaneers.com
