The Terrible Towel is a staple of Pittsburgh Steelers fandom. It’s a symbol of fans’ love for the team, and there might even be some magic in that yellow towel. For those of you that believe in superstitions, the Terrible Towel is not to be disrespected. Those who taunt the towel could be afflicted with a curse. Multiple opposing players have messed around and found out that the towel is not to played with. Former Tennesse Titans running back LenDale White did invoke the Curse of the Terrible Towel, but he still doesn’t believe it hurt his team.
“I don’t even think it was real because, we lost to them the next year, but we beat the crap out of them [that day],” White said recently on Pro Football Talk. “I don’t know if we can say the curse caused [Chris Johnson’s] ankle [injury]. We were on a roll that year. They threw the flag out there, we were beating the crap out of them, so it’s like, get that out of here.”
The incident in question occurred during a 2008 Week 16 game between the Titans and Steelers. The Titans crushed the Steelers, 31-14, securing the AFC’s No. 1 seed. To celebrate, White and other Titans trashed a Terrible Towel on the sideline, stomping it into the ground.
White might not believe in the curse, but after that game, it looked like the Titans were struck with bad luck. They didn’t win another game until Week 8 of the following season. That included a disappointing first-round playoff loss, while the Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl that year. Even if it wasn’t a curse, it was certainly a bad look in hindsight.
The injury White is talking was sustained by Johnson, then a rookie phenom, during the Titans’ playoff game in 2008. It really hurt their offense and contributed to their loss to the Baltimore Ravens. White isn’t blaming any of that on the Terrible Towel, though.
White recalled explaining to Steelers fan and superstar rapper Snoop Dogg why he felt the need to stomp on the Terrible Towel.
“It’s crazy because Snoop is a Pittsburgh diehard, and he called me like, ‘What was you doing?’ I’m like, ‘They’re in our neighborhood. They come to our home field. F them,'” he said.
White might feel like he was just defending his team’s turf against an enemy, but it proved to be a mistake. The Titans faced the Steelers in Week 1 of the following season, and Pittsburgh got its revenge. The 2009 would be White’s final one with the Titans.
While White might not want to acknowledge any kind of curse, things definitely went downhill quickly for him and the Titans after that moment. Meanwhile, the Steelers continued to be one of the NFL’s best franchises. The Curse of the Terrible Towel might just be a superstition, but it’s got some merit behind it. White isn’t the only one who’s faced the towel’s wrath. It might be better to just leave it alone.
