It isn't a secret that football players tend to get in dust-ups from time to time, and the Pittsburgh Steelers players are no exception. Over the years, the media and fans have borne witness to fights as well as heard about stories that were leaked out. It is usually sensationalized more than it deserves, but football is a physical sport and the men who play are running at full throttle. Cam Heyward tells the tale of two crazy fights.
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward
Pittsburgh Steelers' Cam Heyward's Craziest Fight
On his podcast, Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, the fan-favorite defensive tackle is asked about his welcome to the Steelers moment:
"It was my rookie year, my first couple of practices during training camp and the O-line just started to jump me. That was their way of welcoming the young boy to the group. I came to the sidelines and Coach Mitch [Mitchell] goes, 'You can fight back, you're not gonna get penalized here.'"
Heyward said that he did start to stand up for himself, but he also had to be mindful of the level of respect afforded to veteran players by rookies. He said that he kept fighting, but he wound up having support from a surprising ally:
"I feel like I got in fights the whole time. The funniest part was Casey Hampton was like, 'Y'all ain't about to just jump him.' He came from the sideline and just started fighting everybody. I knew I got the D-line's back, you know they're going to look out for me now."
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Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey
Of course, Heyward is asked to name the names of the OL men who were jumping him and surprisingly enough, he did:
"It was Willie [Colon], Pounce [Maurkice Pouncey] always try to get a cheap shot. Chris Kemoeatu, Max Starks never fought anybody, Trai Essex, Doug Legursky and I fought a lot. I could go down a list, there were a lot of O-linemen I fought in my time. Ramon, I would fight Ramon Foster."
His co-host Hayden Walsh, asks him about a fight that was talked about in the press. It was one that he had with Alejandro Villanueva. Heyward dismisses that fight, saying that people made a big deal out of it when it wasn't one. He says everyone fights during practice and says he didn't even have the craziest Steelers fight. He then tells the story of that skirmish:
"I think the AB [Antonio Brown]-Ike T [Taylor] that led to Troy [Polamalu] and RC [Ryan Clark] jumping in was crazy because it was like AB and Ike were going back and forth, then AB started talking to Coach LeBeau and once he started talking with Coach LeBeau, RC, and TP weren't having that. So one thing led to another and you start hearing Troy talking, it set everybody off."
The fights between Ike Taylor and Antonio Brown were publicized. The two were pretty chippy with one another and got into it often in 2012.
ESPN reported one fight, it may or may not have been this exact one, between Brown and Taylor. The two were both going up for a pass in the end zone. Taylor won that battle and they both fell to the ground. When Brown got up he punched Taylor in the face.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Ike Taylor and Antonio Brown get into a fight during training camp.
It reportedly took multiple players and an intervention by then-GM Kevin Colbert to end the dispute. Shortly after the fight, Taylor could be seen icing his eye and Brown was receiving a stern talking to from Colbert. The two players made up over breakfast shortly after and expressed they both had nothing but respect for each other.
What do you think about the names Heyward names? Did any surprise you? What do you think about the chippy physical stuff that happens between players? Do you think it is an issue? Click to comment below.
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