Pittsburgh Steelers legend Joe Greene called into a conference call that Steelers DE Cameron Heyward held with media today after his Walter Payton Man of the Year award victory. Mike DeFabo of The Athletic tweeted that Greene called in as “Joe From Vegas” to prank Heyward and also congratulate him on winning the award, one that Greene won in 1979.
Heyward told Greene. “I’ve always loved your game. But I’ve always loved the man you were and are.”
Teresa Varley of Steelers.com said that Heyward was stunned when Greene called in.
Heyward was named the winner of the Walter Payton Man of The Year award on Thursday Night at the NFL Honors show in Las Vegas, winning for his charitable work with The Heyward House Foundation. Among its many initiatives, The Heyward House helps combat childhood hunger and supports underprivileged communities.
For the second year in a row, Heyward also held “Cam’s Kindness Week” where he opened another Craig’s Closet, donating dress clothes to students in need while also speaking to children who lost a parent. Craig’s Closet is named after Heyward’s late father, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.
Heyward became the fifth Steeler to win the award, with the first going to Franco Harris back in 1976. Greene won in 1979 while Lynn Swann won in 1981 and Jerome Bettis won in 2001. It’s a prestigious group for Heyward to join, one of Steelers who excelled on the field — all four of them are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — and also off it as recognized by winning an award for their charitable work.
Greene was the player and the person who really helped kick-start the Steelers into becoming a dynasty in the 1970s. He remains close to the team and served as a coach in Pittsburgh from 1987-1991. He’s the true embodiment of what it means to be a Steeler, as is Heyward, and it’s clear that the two have a mutual respect for each other.
In addition to Greene, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported that Heyward’s former head coach at Ohio State, Jim Tressel, called in to congratulate Heyward on the honor.
In person, Heyward had teammates, including RB Najee Harris and CB Joey Porter Jr., in attendance as well as head coach Mike Tomlin. Per Pryor, Heyward said that Tomlin told him before the award was announced that he wouldn’t have shown up if Heyward wasn’t going to win.
It’s a well-deserved honor for Heyward, who is one of the best human beings in the National Football League along with being a pretty dang good player on the field. The next step is for him to experience some playoff success with the Steelers, which hopefully can happen in 2024.
