If you didn’t look at the calendar, you could’ve attended Tuesday’s Pittsburgh Steelers practice and thought you were transported back to 2008.
As noted by The Trib’s Chris Adamski, a handful ex-Steelers were on-hand for today’s practice: SS Troy Polamalu, NT Casey Hampton, CB Bryant McFadden, QB Byron Leftwich, S Chris Hope, and CB Ike Taylor.
Scores of Steelers alums on hand today to observe OTAs-
Troy Polamalu, Casey Hampton, Bryant McFadden, Byron Leftwich, Chris Hope, Ike Taylor among them— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) May 21, 2024
The team also shared a photo of those old faces.
Had some special guests at practice today 😃 pic.twitter.com/8tJqAkhCAN
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 21, 2024
Their presence isn’t a coincidence. Troy Polamalu is hosting his “Resilience Bowl” tonight at Acrisure Stadium, wrapping up with a celebrity flag football game in which several of these players are likely participating. The Steelers’ rookie class is also slated to attend, a chance to meet some organizational legends.
But before those festivities kicked off, the group of former players checked out the 2024 version of the team. Some of them have remained around the club. Taylor works as an unofficial scout while McFadden hosts a Steelers-centric podcast and was connected through cousin Patrick Peterson last year.
Hampton, always known as “Big Snack,” has even slimmed down to Fun Size.
Pittsburgh has been none as one of the top NFL teams in terms of bringing back former players. Pat McAfee has routinely referred to the Steelers as a college team for the number of alumni who show up throughout the season. During training camp, it’s a common sight to see former players return for at least one day, especially when the team announces its yearly Hall of Honor class.
Though these players haven’t shared the field together in years, the bonds of ex-Steelers remain strong. There are yearly events that put them together, including the Mel Blount Foundation’s annual roast. A large contingency of Steelers got together this past weekend to support Ryan Shazier’s cause, too. It makes Pittsburgh unique and truly defines what “Steeler for life” means.
