Worst-case scenario may have just happened for the Pittsburgh Steelers: it is now confirmed that superstar edge rusher TJ Watt had surgery to repair his lung after a dry needling accident during treatment on Wednesday and is out for the upcoming Week 15 game. There is no confirmation that he will be able to play for the rest of the 2025 season as well. All in all, it's a horrible situation for player and team, and it may or may not cost them a chance at the playoffs, let alone to win a game in January.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
All-Pro edge rusher TJ Watt during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
While everyone is wishing Watt well, radio host Chris Mueller has another take on this situation. He thinks that not enough people are directly questioning and berating the Steelers organization like they would if other small-market teams had the same thing happen to their star.
The initial gloss that the national media is putting on this Watt story, to the Steelers' benefit, is preposterous. If this happened to Garrett or Maxx Crosby, the cognoscenti would be mocking CLE/LVR as Mickey Mouse orgs. But the Steelers get this soft-focus treatment, instead.
— Chris Mueller (@ChrisMuellerPGH) December 12, 2025
If what JJ Watt and other reports say about the situation is true, the team is definitely at fault. TJ Watt was just trying to go through a procedure to reduce pain so he can play at his best moving forward, and it resulted in the athletic trainer going too far and puncturing his lung (which would be life-threatening if not treated in time). Luckily, it does sound like he will have a full recovery eventually.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers outside linebacker TJ Watt (90) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Since it was an employee of the Steelers that seemingly caused this problem, the organization is definitely at fault. In a normal situation, they could be sued, but the ability to do that in the NFL is a bit unclear. Either way, this was not Watt's fault at all, and the team should do everything in their power to take care of him until he is ready to get back onto the field.
In the 2025 NFLPA report card, Steelers players gave their training staff a B grade. While that looks good, that is still ranked in the bottom half of the league. The strength and conditioning coaches received the worst grade, yet everyone on both of those staffs were retained. Now, the lack of expertise in either/both departments may have cost their star player the rest of his season.
The Steelers prefer to do things the old-fashioned way with nearly everything and sticking to team tradition. That includes not firing people, even though the players clearly have issues with some. A team staffer likely made a huge mistake and punctured the lung of a superstar player. If that act of malpractice does not lead to people being fired and/or massive changes being made in that regard, nothing will.
Keith Srakocic / AP
Steelers' Art Rooney II looks on while roaming the field in Pittsburgh.
That is why Mueller is right. Why should the Steelers be able to get out of this mess clean when they seemingly had a contribution to it? Owner Art Rooney II may have not been the one to cause the collapsed lung, but his actions certainly led to it. This likely does not happen with a proper medical/training/strength staff. There needs to be consequences for it, and people need to let them know that this is not the least bit okay.
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Many fans have accused Rooney of being extremely cheap, and the NFLPA report card helps confirm that. It doesn't help that he is likely trying to take legal action to shut down these report cards as opposed to helping his own team.
What do you think about Mueller's take that the Steelers should take a lot more flack than they have been? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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