The Pittsburgh Steelers have a tradition that dates back to 1975, as beloved broadcaster Myron Cope introduced the Terrible Towel. He wanted to inspire fan involvement in the playoffs, and it initially started with encouraging fans to bring a yellow dish towel from their homes to twirl in the stadium.
That tradition has been a staple of Steelers fandom ever since. As a symbol of the team and the city, fans do not take kindly to when the Terrible Towel is messed with in any way.
Ahead of the Steelers game against the Buffalo Bills, S Jordan Poyer appeared on The Pat McAfee show and he was offered advice to not mess with the Terrible Towel.
“My dad grew up a Steelers fan, I’m pretty sure he still is a Steelers fan,” Poyer said in a clip of the segment posted on X by Pat McAfee. “That’s one thing he told me, ‘Don’t ever pick up one of those Steelers flags and twirl it, son. It’s a curse, don’t ever do it.'”
Superstitious or not, the Terrible Towel has exacted revenge on a number of players and teams that have chosen to test the waters over the years. Most recently, the Jacksonville Jaguars S Andrew Wingard grabbed a Terrible Towel during the Jaguars’ win over the Steelers and twirled it on the field.
Fast forward to the end of the season, and he was made the butt of a joke as the Steelers edged out the Jaguars for the final playoff spot. After that Steelers game, the Jaguars went on to lose six of their last nine games, including in Week 18 in a do-or-die game against the Tennessee Titans, to miss the playoffs.
Similar misfortunes have been experienced by others who tested the “curse” in the past like T.J. Houshmandzadeh, LenDale White, or Mike Ford. Mess with The Towel, face the consequences, but it doesn’t appear that Poyer will be falling into that same trap.
