Last year at this time, Pittsburgh Steelers DL Cameron Heyward spoke on his podcast Not Just Football about how he naturally is an instigator of fights in training camp, having gotten into it with RB Benny Snell Jr.
Pittsburgh had a few scrums happen last year in training camp, including a fight between DL DeMarvin Leal and OL John Leglue. This year, there hasn’t been any fights or dusts up in camp, a rarity given how high tensions can run after multiple days with pads on playing in the heat against the same competition.
Heyward was asked on the podcast if he had started a fight yet with rookie OT Broderick Jones as a “welcome to the NFL” moment for the young player out of the University of Georgia.
“Not yet,” Heyward said on the podcast which aired on YouTube. “I was told by staff that I need to not get in fights this camp. I don’t know if I can make that promise though the way it’s going”.
It looks like the coaching staff remembered Heyward getting kicked out of the drill in last year’s training camp after getting into it with Snell and prioritized addressing it before the same issue popped up again. It makes sense to nip it in the bud right away to avoid any unneeded controversy and to avoid potential injuries.
Heyward was then asked if he was ever told by the coaching staff to pick a fight with another player or rough him up a bit. Heyward responded with a resounding no, understanding he has a short fuse that can be difficult to control.
“I don’t know how to turn it off, and that’s my own problem. Once it’s on, it’s on, ” Heyward said.
In an environment where you have numerous grown men that have all been alphas their entire lives, it can be difficult to have an on-and-off switch when it comes to calming your temper. If someone is imposing their will on you or punching you in the face, it’s going to be difficult to turn the other cheek. Heyward admits to this, understanding that he can be a good-natured guy, but one who struggles to come back to center when tensions rise. Therefore, it’s best to avoid that scenario altogether. Hence why Heyward was approached before training camp about not looking to pick fights, knowing he’d have a tough time letting up.
