The NFL Created a Sportsmanship Award and Connor Barwin is the Eagles' Nominee

Roger Goodell has come under a lot of fire this year, not only for his own performance, but for the actions of those under him and his reaction to them. It’s been rough. But hey, it’s almost 2015, so as long as there isn’t some weak, transparent effort for Goodell to do some image building, we won’t have any other immediate reason to bring up how terrible he is.

That didn’t work.

According to the Associated Press, Roger Goodell has announced the NFL Sportsmanship Award, with each team nominating one of its players, and to be whittled down to eight finalists by a panel of former players. That panel will include Curtis Martin, Warrick Dunn, Karl Mecklenburg, Leonard Wheeler, and more. From there, the eight finalists will be “listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award when the players vote 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 award will be given to the person who most exemplifies “respect for the game, for their opponents, for the officials and for the fans.” And for their nominee, the Eagles have selected linebacker Connor Barwin. If the criteria was having a cool haircut or saving playgrounds, this wouldn’t even be a competition. If Barwin wins the award, the $25,000 donation will be made to the charity of his choice. Other nominees include Larry Fitzgerald, Torrey Smith, Joe Haden, Jason Witten (not joking), J.J. Watt, Troy Polamalu, and Ray Rice. One of those is a lie.

This is actually a good thing, but it just reminds everyone how terrible Goodell is.