Joel Bitonio has navigated through some of the highest of highs and lowest of lows during his 10-year tenure with the Cleveland Browns. Through it all, the 10-year veteran has become an anchor and a key leaders along the Browns offensive line, taking the torch from his former teammate, turned Hall of Famer, Joe Thomas.
Bitonio represents the best of the Browns organization both on and off the field. Now, he has an opportunity to be recognized for that by the NFL.
On Wednesday, the league announced the 32 finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, featuring Bitonio as the nominee for Cleveland. The 32-year-old finds himself among other notable players from Cowboys QB, Dak Prescott, Raiders pass rusher, Max Crosby, Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter and Buccaneers wideout Chris Godwin, among others.
The Art Rooney Award is one of the four non-performance based awards handed out annually at the NFL Honors in February. It was first introduced to the awards slate in 2014, with former Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgearld taking home the inaugural prize.
Last year, defensive end Calais Campbell received the honor as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
Hailing from the University of Nevada, Bitonio is no stranger to accolades during his decade in the pros. He's been named First-team All-Pro in each of the last two seasons, while earning Second-team All-Pro honors three times and making five trips to the Pro Bowl.
Fans will have to wait to find out if Bitonio takes home more hardware in the form of the Art Rooney Award until the Saturday before the Super Bowl.
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