The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

[hawaiiansteel]

The Stand-Up Guys

by Dale Lolley
Friday, May 07, 2010


With all of the scrutiny surrounding the Steelers this offseason for the off-field exploits of a few members of the team, the unfortunate thing is that the other 50-plus players are also being drug through the mud.

With that in mind, here are just a few – remember, this is just a few – of the great guys in what is actually a very good locker room:

Troy Polamalu: It should surprise nobody that Polamalu is a gentleman off the field. Polamalu is somebody you'd want to sit down and have dinner with and talk about anything but football. Troy and his wife, Theodora, are very involved with The Pittsburgh Foundation.

James Farrior: He sometimes jokingly plays bad-guy with the media, but Potsy is always available win or lose. The other players look up to him and he's always thoughtful with his answers. Has his own charity, the James Farrior Foundation, which is involved in a number of fundraisers.

Max Starks: Always available in good times and bad - actually most of the offensive linemen are - Starks has probably had a little more adversity than some of the other guys on the front line. But he's never run from it. Big charity, a fund to promote childhood literacy and education at The Pittsburgh Foundation.

Ryan Clark: Obviously, helping those who deal with the sickle cell trait is near and dear to Clark's heart. He's active in charity work with that. He's also a standup guy.

Chris Hoke: Calls everybody 'bro' and never has a bad word to say about anything or anyone. His pre-practice dance routine is legendary among his teammates.

Brett Keisel: Everybody loves Keisel and the guy whose locker is right beside Keisel, our next nice guy. . .

Heath Miller: It's weird that Miller's roommate at training camp and on the road has always been Roethlisberger. You'd be hard-pressed to find two guys with two more different personalities.

Charlie Batch/Byron Leftwich: I'm putting these two guys together because the reality is that they're practically the same guy when it comes to handling off-field stuff. Both very professional and well-liked by their teammates. A couple of class acts.

[url="http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/sidelines/"]http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/sidelines/[/url]

[BURGH86STEEL]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

There are more positive guys then negative guys in the league. It appears that the negativity gets more attention. The league is doing what it can to limit the damaged caused by negative attention.

[MaxAMillion]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

There are more positive guys then negative guys in the league. It appears that the negativity gets more attention. The league is doing what it can to limit the damaged caused by negative attention.

Plus there are a lot of people who get off on focusing on the negative. Lots of fans of teams like to focus on the negative as a means of belittling the opponent. It really is silly and dishonest.

[birtikidis]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

There are more positive guys then negative guys in the league. It appears that the negativity gets more attention. The league is doing what it can to limit the damaged caused by negative attention.

fans of football want the good guys to succeed. they're tired of buttholes making a bad name for the league. Why do you think Tebow has the #1 selling jersey in the NFL? not because he's a star. it's because the vast majority of fans want him to succeed. hell i want him to be great in every game except agaisnt the steelers!

[feltdizz]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

Tebow has the #1 selling jersey because NFL teams in Florida are terrible. LOL!!!

The guys like Warrick Dunn and Kurt Warner have been around for years doing great things but it's not what the media covets. They like spectacles and scandals...

Look at the local and national news every night.. it's negative for 28 of the 30 minutes. Something is definitely wrong with the media as a whole... The show cops, the producer said he would love to show white collar crimes but the perp walk is boring, he said something like.. "if CEO's ripped their shirt off and tried to run out the office with a briefcase full of cash we would film it"

[NorthCoast]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

The media in general, are bottom-feeders. It's easy work, requires little thought or research....and it sells. I agree there are plenty of great stories out there with athletes who do honor to their teams with their off-field lives. Sadly, it takes only one to trash all that good stuff. The Steelers need to engage a PR company to promote some of what goes on behind the scenes. It would serve the team, and Ben, well.

[feltdizz]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

All it takes is one bad apple....

[birtikidis]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

Tebow has the #1 selling jersey because NFL teams in Florida are terrible. LOL!!!

The guys like Warrick Dunn and Kurt Warner have been around for years doing great things but it's not what the media covets. They like spectacles and scandals...

Look at the local and national news every night.. it's negative for 28 of the 30 minutes. Something is definitely wrong with the media as a whole... The show cops, the producer said he would love to show white collar crimes but the perp walk is boring, he said something like.. "if CEO's ripped their shirt off and tried to run out the office with a briefcase full of cash we would film it"

Felt, I would disagree. Tebow was a media sensation before he even took over as a starter at Florida. PEOPLE want him to succeed.. maybe not the media, but the vast majority of fans want to see a guy like tebow succeed...
and yea, they let warner slide under the radar. but if he were a 19-20 year old kid doing things that most people would never do, then he'd get into the press more.
I agree 100% with the media though. I refuse to watch tv. it's disgusting.

[feltdizz]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

Tebow has the #1 selling jersey because NFL teams in Florida are terrible. LOL!!!

The guys like Warrick Dunn and Kurt Warner have been around for years doing great things but it's not what the media covets. They like spectacles and scandals...

Look at the local and national news every night.. it's negative for 28 of the 30 minutes. Something is definitely wrong with the media as a whole... The show cops, the producer said he would love to show white collar crimes but the perp walk is boring, he said something like.. "if CEO's ripped their shirt off and tried to run out the office with a briefcase full of cash we would film it"

Felt, I would disagree. Tebow was a media sensation before he even took over as a starter at Florida. PEOPLE want him to succeed.. maybe not the media, but the vast majority of fans want to see a guy like tebow succeed...
and yea, they let warner slide under the radar. but if he were a 19-20 year old kid doing things that most people would never do, then he'd get into the press more.
I agree 100% with the media though. I refuse to watch tv. it's disgusting.

Dude... you are really scaring me with your love of Tebow. The same media you hate is the one who turned Tebow into some boy wonder and the fans expect him to raise Denver another mile high into the heavens of football glory.

The media loves Tebow and tried to get him to NYC to sit in the room like Brady Quinn.
If Denver didn't reach for him he would have been a late second rounder. The media wants Tim to succeed more then the fans do because he is a bible belt cash king.

The expectations for Tebow are scary... kinda like those Obama fans who thought hunger, racism, unemployment and rain would stop once Obama was in office.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

Lifting their spirits


By Teresa Varley – Steelers.com
Posted May 10, 2010


When they walked into the room all that could be heard was the beeping of machines and the voices of doctors and nurses.

After a few minutes, though, laughter filled the air as thoughts of getting chemotherapy soon vanished and fun took over for awhile.

“It’s really a morale boaster,” said Jim O’Connor, from Mt. Lebanon, Pa., who was receiving chemo. “It’s great to see these guys. It’s a real surprise. My kids would love this. They are even more rabid fans than I am. I never miss a game.”
That was the impact Steelers Trai Essex, Justin Hartwig and Sean McHugh had on patients who were getting treatment at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

“You can tell it is tough,” said Hartwig. “When you walk into the room everybody is quiet and you come in and they all have a smile on their face. Everybody loves the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Anything I can do to brighten their day I will. They have the weight of the world on their shoulders having cancer. To put a smile on their face it brightens my day.”

And it’s the kind of medicine that even doctors can’t deliver.

“It’s very poignant they visit the treatment area,” said Dr. Michael Gibson, assistant professor of medicine and clinical practicing oncologist and researcher. “It’s where the patients have a lot of time to think about their cancer when they see their chemo drugs running in directly. Some of them told me it’s easy to focus on the negative with extra time. Having Steelers players come by, as beloved as they are in the city, is an amazing boost for their spirits. Everybody loves the Steelers. Despite all of the activity it can get lonely for the patients so they like to have people come back and see what they are going through.”

While most of the patients were diehard Steelers fans, including Toni Maroney from Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood who actually wore her Steelers jacket, there was one Browns fan in the mix but the players didn’t mind as their goal was to just make everyone smile.

“It’s good to see people out here,” said Essex. “They’re struggling and we want to put a little smile on their face to help them get through the day. Personally for me I have had people in my family with cancer so it hits home. It’s good to help out. It’s a great feeling to know I have that type of effect and the team has that type of effect just to get them through the day. It’s a great feeling.”

McHugh enjoyed getting to know some of the patients and especially had fun talking to a few that weren’t just Steelers fans, but also fans of his alma mater Penn State.
“It’s amazing,” said McHugh. “These people are going through some tough times. The fact that you being there can brighten their day - it makes you feel good and appreciate what we do for a living and the impact we have on people.”

[url="http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Lifting-their-spirits/5b4e9797-354d-4fa4-a9ca-12c8c16b84b5"]http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/ ... c8c16b84b5[/url]

[birtikidis]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

Tebow has the #1 selling jersey because NFL teams in Florida are terrible. LOL!!!

The guys like Warrick Dunn and Kurt Warner have been around for years doing great things but it's not what the media covets. They like spectacles and scandals...

Look at the local and national news every night.. it's negative for 28 of the 30 minutes. Something is definitely wrong with the media as a whole... The show cops, the producer said he would love to show white collar crimes but the perp walk is boring, he said something like.. "if CEO's ripped their shirt off and tried to run out the office with a briefcase full of cash we would film it"

Felt, I would disagree. Tebow was a media sensation before he even took over as a starter at Florida. PEOPLE want him to succeed.. maybe not the media, but the vast majority of fans want to see a guy like tebow succeed...
and yea, they let warner slide under the radar. but if he were a 19-20 year old kid doing things that most people would never do, then he'd get into the press more.
I agree 100% with the media though. I refuse to watch tv. it's disgusting.

Dude... you are really scaring me with your love of Tebow. The same media you hate is the one who turned Tebow into some boy wonder and the fans expect him to raise Denver another mile high into the heavens of football glory.

The media loves Tebow and tried to get him to NYC to sit in the room like Brady Quinn.
If Denver didn't reach for him he would have been a late second rounder. The media wants Tim to succeed more then the fans do because he is a bible belt cash king.

The expectations for Tebow are scary... kinda like those Obama fans who thought hunger, racism, unemployment and rain would stop once Obama was in office.

Yea i respect the hell out of Tebow. he's a stand up guy. Just because you don't like him doesn't take away from that. having been in Gainesville nearly the whole time he was, and having met him, I know alot more about him then what you see the media portray. they loved him when he was in high school... but then, how many high schoolers spend their spring/easter breaks in 3rd world countries trying to make a difference? The media loved him when was in college. especially ESPN... but, for the most part, media wants him to fail. where's the story if he succeeds? all of his success has already been covered... IMO fans (they're the ones buying the jersey's not the media) want him to succeed b.c for the most part, fans are tired of the Big Bens, the Pacman jones', the Mike Vicks, and the hood lifestyle in professional sports. Stop trying to be a d!ck all the time, and thnking that you're always right, because, in this case, you're way off.

[flippy]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

The media in general, are bottom-feeders. It's easy work, requires little thought or research....and it sells. I agree there are plenty of great stories out there with athletes who do honor to their teams with their off-field lives. Sadly, it takes only one to trash all that good stuff. The Steelers need to engage a PR company to promote some of what goes on behind the scenes. It would serve the team, and Ben, well.

Steelers.com puts up tons of pics of the guys at charity events throughout the year. The good is easy to find.

I remember noticing how many times one our alleged mean and nasty OLBs, James Harrison, was caught smiling with some little kid in a wheelchair.

The number of nice pictures of James smiling was insane.

I thought he never smiled. That kinda debunked that myth for me.

So in some ways, you kinda want your football players to seem mean and nasty, even if it's a myth.

I say all the players should show up for training camp in the greg lloyd tshirts saying they weren't hired for their disposition.

[birtikidis]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

The media in general, are bottom-feeders. It's easy work, requires little thought or research....and it sells. I agree there are plenty of great stories out there with athletes who do honor to their teams with their off-field lives. Sadly, it takes only one to trash all that good stuff. The Steelers need to engage a PR company to promote some of what goes on behind the scenes. It would serve the team, and Ben, well.

Steelers.com puts up tons of pics of the guys at charity events throughout the year. The good is easy to find.

I remember noticing how many times one our alleged mean and nasty OLBs, James Harrison, was caught smiling with some little kid in a wheelchair.

The number of nice pictures of James smiling was insane.

I thought he never smiled. That kinda debunked that myth for me.

So in some ways, you kinda want your football players to seem mean and nasty, even if it's a myth.

I say all the players should show up for training camp in the greg lloyd tshirts saying they weren't hired for their disposition.

flippy, i think that what the OP meant was teh media in general. from the nightly news to sportscenter it seems that they just try to dig up as much bad sh!t as they can. it's annoying to me... I don't watch tv unless it's a steelers or pens game (I'd probably watch more tv if pittsburgh had a professional baseball or basketball team).
mainstream media doesn't allow bad sh!t to die either. in comparision remember whne that college coach saved someones life in an accident... that was blown over in days.

sure steelers.com is going to post positive stuff. that is the PR's dept job to see it gets out there. but you don't see the media reporting on it.

[flippy]

Re: The Steelers Have Stand-Up Guys Too

The media in general, are bottom-feeders. It's easy work, requires little thought or research....and it sells. I agree there are plenty of great stories out there with athletes who do honor to their teams with their off-field lives. Sadly, it takes only one to trash all that good stuff. The Steelers need to engage a PR company to promote some of what goes on behind the scenes. It would serve the team, and Ben, well.

Steelers.com puts up tons of pics of the guys at charity events throughout the year. The good is easy to find.

I remember noticing how many times one our alleged mean and nasty OLBs, James Harrison, was caught smiling with some little kid in a wheelchair.

The number of nice pictures of James smiling was insane.

I thought he never smiled. That kinda debunked that myth for me.

So in some ways, you kinda want your football players to seem mean and nasty, even if it's a myth.

I say all the players should show up for training camp in the greg lloyd tshirts saying they weren't hired for their disposition.

flippy, i think that what the OP meant was teh media in general. from the nightly news to sportscenter it seems that they just try to dig up as much bad sh!t as they can. it's annoying to me... I don't watch tv unless it's a steelers or pens game (I'd probably watch more tv if pittsburgh had a professional baseball or basketball team).
mainstream media doesn't allow bad sh!t to die either. in comparision remember whne that college coach saved someones life in an accident... that was blown over in days.

sure steelers.com is going to post positive stuff. that is the PR's dept job to see it gets out there. but you don't see the media reporting on it.

i was just pointing out the steelers already seem to put good info out there, but like you're saying the media just doesn't pick it up.

it's more the media consumer's fault than the media in one sense. and that's because consumers tend to react to the negative more than the positive. and reactions = ratings.

i personally prefer the positive.