Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward revealed in a lengthy interview on Friday afternoon that the hardest part of his contract dispute with the team is the backlash that his brother Connor Heyward has received from the fanbase.
“The most difficult part, I think less about me and more about my brother. The dude has nothing to deal with this situation and has gone about his business the right way, but he just gets dragged along in it,” Heyward said. “I’m a big boy, I can handle what comes my way. But when people start questioning what he does on the field, there’s a brother in me, there’s a teammate in me and that’s not anything he should have to answer for. I’m all for taking whatever heat I get for it, but I just think it’s unwarranted to someone who has no control over the situation.”
Heyward understands the public’s reaction to his dispute with the team over his contract, but he’s not worried about the outside noise.
“There’s a lot of voices and everybody has an opinion, but I can’t control that. You know how I work, you know how I play. That’s all that matters,” Heyward said. “I have to make a decision for my family. This is a business. I cannot play this game forever and just like I’m maximized on the field, I wanna be maximized outside of it, and I wanna be taken care of that way.
*It’s not being greedy. It’s just the way this game is. It’s ‘not for long, NFL.’”
Heyward is approaching Sunday as if he’ll play in the Steelers’ regular-season opener. He didn’t confirm that he’d be on the field for the road matchup against the New York Jets, however.
“You know, I’m preparing. We’ve still got some time, but we’ll see,” Heyward said after practice Friday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Heyward also said “we’ll see” about his availability for the clash during an episode of his podcast earlier this week. On Friday, Heyward said he wishes he could be more optimistic about the direction of talks regarding a new deal and admitted the situation has been tough on him.
“I’m just trying to stay in the moment,” Heyward said. “I don’t have all the answers. It’s more of me just waiting and seeing what can happen. … I thought this would be a lot easier, but it’s gotten dragged on. Luckily, it hasn’t affected my teammates.”
Heyward sat out during Thursday’s practice as part of a vet day off. He suited up and took part in the Steelers’ session on Friday. The Steelers are expecting him to play against the Jets.
“He’s our leader so I’m confident he’s gonna play. He’s an All-Pro guy for us,” Alex Highsmith said on Thursday.
“Absolutely. He’s been practicing. … I’m anticipating him playing,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said the same day.
Word first surfaced regarding Heyward’s desire for a new contract last month during training...
