Summer has finally arrived here in western Pennsylvania. From where I write, the site of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp, which opens next month at Saint Vincent College, looms just over the hill.
Unfortunately, the summer heat appears to have melted liberal Steelers fans’ brains.
According to Outkick, some fans expressed outrage on Friday when Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, defensive back and special-teams wizard Miles Killebrew, and Steelers legend Rocky Bleier, a Vietnam War veteran and winner of four Super Bowls in the 1970s, appeared on stage at a rally in Pittsburgh with President Donald Trump, prompting the Steelers organization to remind those silly fans that America remains a free country.
“We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with us,” the Steelers organization wrote in an email response to some disgruntled fans. “As valued fans, your voice is an essential part of what makes our Steelers community and fan base so strong.”
“We understand that a recent rally in Pittsburgh has generated a range of reactions from our fan base. Our alumni and current players make their own individual decisions that reflect their views, and they do not necessarily represent the view of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization,” the email continued. “Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your passion and your continued support of the team.”
In other words, to those liberal fans lodging complaints with the team, take your craziness somewhere else.
Of course, most stories of this kind also come with a “you don’t hate the media enough” element.
To that end, the Associated Press published a headline almost certainly designed to mislead readers about the team’s stance.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers reached out to fans upset that Donald Trump received a jersey at a rally,” the headline read.
Would you like to see more NFL players on stage at Trump rallies?
The Steelers, of course, did no such thing. They merely responded to angry nincompoops with a stock answer about individual freedom.
While on stage with the president, Rudolph, Killebrew, and Bleier presented a “Trump 47” Steelers jersey. Readers may view that nice moment in the video below, posted to the social media platform X.
Pittsburgh Steelers legend and Vietnam War veteran Rocky Bleier, along with current players QB Mason Rudolph and DB Miles Killebrew, present @POTUS with a 47 Steelers jersey. ⚫️🟡🏈 pic.twitter.com/PlsiYHdp25
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 30, 2025
As a lifelong Steelers fan, I do not recall outrage in 2009 when late team owner Dan Rooney thanked President Barack Obama while receiving the Lombardi Trophy following the Steelers’ 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, nor when Obama appointed Rooney U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, nor when Rooney lent his name to the woke “Rooney Rule,” which forces NFL owners to take skin color into consideration when interviewing coaching candidates.
Nor, apparently, am I the only one who remembers those things about Rooney:
When the Steelers were accepting their Lombardi on stage that night after beating Arizona and Dan Rooney dropped Obama’s name , I knew the franchise was cursed and here we are 17 years later, 🤣, seriously, it was awful
— Gary Hoskavich (@GHoskavich) June 3, 2025
But it makes no difference. After all, Rooney had the freedom to endorse whomever he pleased.
The same holds true for Steelers players, past and present.
For instance, recall in October when former Steelers Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and Mike Wallace appeared on stage at a Trump rally here in Latrobe, Pennsylvania — coincidentally the site of the team’s training camp.
President Trump brings Steelers legends Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and Mike Wallace to the stage in Latrobe, Pennsylvania!
The greatest athletes in the world are magnetized to President Trump! pic.twitter.com/oD0MGW2fZ0
— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) October 19, 2024
Killebrew’s support for Trump came as news to me, but of course I welcomed it. A two-time Pro Bowler and 2023 first-team All-Pro on special teams, Killebrew has served as a team captain each of the last three seasons.
Meanwhile, Rudolph returned to the Steelers this season after one year with the Tennessee Titans. In 2023, Rudolph started and won the team’s final three games. In the process, he rallied a moribund Steelers offense and led the team to the playoffs.
During a post-game interview following a December 2023 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Rudolph showed humility and expressed gratitude while praising Jesus Christ. Thus, the quarterback’s support for Trump came as no surprise.
Rudolph will start for the Steelers in 2025 unless the team signs veteran quarterback and vaccine-skeptic Aaron Rodgers.
Imagine what Rodgers and Rudolph on the same team would do to what little remains of liberal fans’ sanity. Conservatives who cheer for no NFL team in particular might want to adopt the Steelers this coming season.
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