The Steelers franchise is one that’s as storied as any you’ll find across the four major sports leagues, and for the incoming rookie class of ’22, if they’re not used to the “Steelers Way,” then it’s not going to take them long, especially with vocal leader and team captain Cam Heyward leading the way. Speaking of Cam, another Heyward was added to the roster in the form of sixth-round H-back/tight end Connor, who just happens to be his younger brother. That now makes four sets of brothers on the Steelers, and earlier this afternoon, both sat down on ESPN’s SportsCenter to discuss that brotherly love they have for one another.
“Honestly, I gotta do some hazing once he gets here, and I gotta welcome him to the team,” Cam told host Jay Harris, laughing. “And besides that, he’s gotta get used to the Steelers culture and the Steelers tradition. He’s always been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, he’s had Fatheads of Troy Polamalu in my room at times. And now we’re both Pittsburgh Steelers, so this should be fun.”
As with most siblings, there are rivalries, especially with brothers, that often lead to plenty of cuts, bruises, and broken furniture. The Heyward brothers are no different, as evidenced this past weekend when Connor got drafted. However, all jokes aside, Cam isn’t losing focus of what’s in front of him, as it’ll be the first time in his career he’ll be able to lace up the cleats alongside Connor. And there’s one thing that he’s striving for, and that’s to make their father, the late Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, proud of them.
“Well, I’ll say this first, like if there was gonna be a prank, it would’ve been me, but I wouldn’t have done it on draft day. But to have a chance to play with my brother, we’ve never played together in all of our careers, even back to when we were younger. I’ve got to watch him from afar and he’s got to watch me. But with that said, I’m gonna do whatever I can to make sure he has a successful career. I know he’s got the right mindset and I’ve already taken the “Papa Bear” approach with most of my teammates, but with him, I gotta make sure I welcome him in and make sure he’s not just a good player, but he’s a man of the community. Because that’s what our dad would want.”
On the field, the four-time All-Pro Cam is all business, which is also why year-in and year-out he’s voted a team captain. If there is a perfect role model to guide not only Connor, but the rest of the rookies, in the rich culture of the franchise, it’s Cam. And Connor already knows this.
“I would say, when I was younger, Cam was more of a father figure growing up, and I looked up to him,” Connor told Harris. “I still look up to him, but now it’s in a different way. We’re teammates now and we’re at the age where we have a lot of stuff in interest and I’m not just an annoying little brother. So I could say our relationship has changed tremendously from when I was seven and he was in about to be a freshman in college to now. We’re really close and I think we’re just gonna continue to get even closer.”
Earlier today, we touched on Cam’s prank to Connor, telling him he had been traded to the archrival Ravens, which younger brother totally fell for. However, he has been known to be a thorn in Cam’s side over the years.
“Yeah I would just like to say, I can recall there’s been two times where we really pranked each other. Like I remember when I was getting ready to be interviewed from different colleges and they would come to the house and Connor would always have a ball and try to bring all the attention to himself, and I would be very annoyed with that.”
The Steelers are notorious across the NFL for being a close-knit organization, that many former players will say, offers up a family-type feeling in which some have found out after leaving, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. The Heyward’s should fit right in, along with the Watt, Edmunds, and Davis brothers.
“We tend to play pranks on each other, I know we’re gonna have plenty of pranks with each other,” Cam said. “I’m sure my mom, she’s very happy because now she doesn’t have to travel from Michigan to Pittsburgh anymore, she’ll just be right here. “
