The Baltimore Ravens are the Pittsburgh Steelers’ biggest rival, but the Cincinnati Bengals have fought for that spot over the years. The rivalry between the Steelers and Bengals might have burned hottest during the mid-2010s. Both teams were AFC powerhouses, and they even met in a playoff game with one of the most bizarre endings in NFL history. Because of those battles, it sounds like former Bengals corner Adam “Pacman” Jones absolutely despises the city of Pittsburgh.
“I don’t fuck with nothing in Pittsburgh,” Jones said Monday on the podcast 2 Bears, 1 Cave. “I don’t even date girls from Pittsburgh when I was dating. You’ve gotta realize, I’ve never had a reason to like Pittsburgh.”
When looking at his career, it’s easy to see why Jones hates all of Pittsburgh, and not just the Steelers. He starred at West Virginia University, which is one of the University of Pittsburgh’s biggest rivals. Then he spent most of his career with the Bengals, and the Steelers stood in their way of winning a championship.
Some fans might remember that Jones is part of the reason the Steelers beat the Bengals in the 2015 playoffs. With the Steelers driving down the field with a chance to win the game, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a hit on Antonio Brown. The Steelers proceeded to get another free 15 yards after Jones pushed Joey Porter, a former player and Steelers coach at the time.
It seems like that moment might have cemented Jones’ hate for Pittsburgh. During that same podcast, he spoke more about how serious his disdain for the city is, going as far as getting into an argument with his friend over a Steelers blanket.
“My boy came to my house, and I wasn’t there. They come into town; it was actually the week that Cincinnati played Pittsburgh,” Jones said. “I get in, I walked down like, ‘Why you got [that]?’ You know what it was? It wasn’t even a [jersey]. It was a blanket. I said, ‘Hey bro, take that shit and put it outside. Do not bring that shit in the house.'”
It’s funny to think about Jones forcing his friend to take his Steelers blanket outside, but it just goes to show that he means every word he says about Pittsburgh. It’s likely that the feeling is mutual too. Jones hasn’t ever been a friend to the Steelers, at least on purpose.
Although he hates the entire city, and his dislike for it started before the NFL, it sounds like Jones has a particular disdain for the Steelers.
“That’s just me. I’m loyal to a team and I don’t fuck with Black and Yellow,” he said. “That’s just one team I don’t fuck with.”
While Jones’ playing days are far behind him, it doesn’t sound like he’ll ever let go of that grudge. The Steelers’ rivalry with the Bengals today isn’t as fierce as it was back then, but the two teams still get chippy whenever they meet. As division rivals, it’s likely they’ll always share just a little bit of animosity. That’s just another part of the game that makes football great, though.
