Throughout much of his career, veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson has been the consummate professional. He’s been a key figure in every community he’s spent time in, giving back in a number of ways, and he’s always been up front and honest in his dealings with the media, too.
Since joining the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency this offseason, that’s been the case in the Steel City for Peterson, who was named the Steelers’ “The Chief” award winner Wednesday in his first season with the franchise.
“The Chief” award is given annually to the top Steelers player for his personality and cooperation with local media. “The Chief” award was established in 1988 in honor of Steelers founder, Art Rooney, Sr., who was affectionately referred to as “The Chief.”
Peterson, who stated Wednesday how grateful he was to win the award, credited former Arizona Cardinals teammate and future Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald for helping shape him into the person he is on and off the field.
“I was very fortunate to be with a future Hall of Famer in Larry Fitzgerald. I had the opportunity to watch him work each and every day. Not only on the field, but in the locker room, how he interacts with the media. Not only with the media, but whoever he crossed paths with,” Peterson said, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “He is just a guy that really, really is a people’s person. And seeing that for 10 years, it was just easy for me to kind of follow suit.
“And like I said, that was something that he did for me without me even asking. That was just me just watching from afar. And that’s kind of how I’ve always been by leading by an example.”
For 10 years, Peterson shared a locker room with Fitzgerald. Though they were on different sides of the football, being able to see the way Fitzgerald handled himself through the media and how he treated each and every person he came across resonated with Peterson.
Now, Peterson is passing that along. Leading by example with the Steelers, he is showing the younger players how to conduct themselves, whether that’s off the field away from the bright lights or in the locker room dealing with the media.
How he’s handled the media has stood out for Peterson, who has visions of being a media member full-time when his career is over, much like Fitzgerald currently is with Sirius XM and has spent time with ESPN while also doing a weekly podcast with longtime broadcaster Jim Gray and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady.
Not a bad role model to have.
