PITTSBURGH -- When it comes to social justice statements and demonstrations, the Pittsburgh Steelers are making one thing clear: They are unified.
In the hours before opening the season at MetLife Stadium on Monday night against the New York Giants, the Steelers began posting photos to Instagram as part of a social media campaign against racism. The team also announced that every player will wear the name of Antwon Rose Jr. on the back of his helmet this season, honoring and remembering the Black teenager from Pittsburgh who was fatally shot in the back by a white Pittsburgh police officer in 2018.
We don't want him to be forgotten.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 14, 2020
For the 2020 season, we unite as one and will wear a single name on the back of our helmets - Antwon Rose Jr.https://t.co/Li8ovGgKa7
When asked about the national anthem ahead of the game, cornerback Steven Nelson didn't reveal the Steelers' plans but said they would do everything as one.
"We'll come out together as one unit and we'll express our beliefs in that aspect," Nelson said Saturday. "You guys will see that Monday."
The plan is similar to one the Steelers had in 2017, but the execution is expected to be very different.
Three years ago, the Steelers planned to be united by staying in the locker room together for the anthem in Chicago. But offensive lineman and former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva got separated from the group and was captured on camera standing just outside the tunnel during the anthem with his hand over his heart while all the other players stayed inside.
"The thing that ticks me off about that is what we were trying to do was remain out of the spotlight and it got turned upside down," defensive captain Cam Heyward said in June. "To know that we were looked at like we were leaving one of our brothers out, leaving Al out to dry ... It was never meant to ostracize a player."
The fallout became a divisive national discussion, and the Steelers found themselves at the center of a debate about anthem protests.
This time around, the Steelers are together in their words and actions. Veteran linebacker Vince Williams, a leader on the team's social justice committee, said the team has always felt support from team owner and president Art Rooney II, and they've constantly had open dialogue in the building. Now, though, they're taking that dialogue public.
"We get free rein to express ourselves," Williams said recently. "We never felt like we were in a predicament where we couldn't say whatever we wanted to say. When the situation happened three years ago, Mr. Rooney spoke to us, addressed us and told us to handle it the way you want to handle it. When we came back and wanted Mike T [coach Mike Tomlin] to give a statement for us, we told him how we wanted to perceive it, and we were supported top to bottom. That's just how it works. I mean everybody's encouraged to speak up. Everybody, it's like yo, if you feel like you need to say something that's going to encourage people, say it. Just don't be negligent and always be professional and keep it classy. That's what we're encouraged to do."
Williams added: "I think that now that we are seeing the need and people in the community want to hear from us, we're here and we are going to speak. We just never felt pressed to speak because we get to go about our life and talk about these things and deal with these things, and we get to get out in our community personally and deal with these things as pedestrians and on our own."
A part of the team's social media blitz Monday morning included prominent players like Heyward, Eric Ebron, Bud Dupree and Zach Banner holding signs with the names of their hometowns and why they want to highlight them. Some, like Banner, wrote about incidents of police brutality in the caption, while others, such as Dupree, included what they're doing to bring change in their hometowns.
"Tonight, we as a team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, will unite and show we are against racism," Banner wrote, mirroring the form of the Steelers' other social media posts. "Me personally, I want to highlight my hometown of Tacoma, WA because of the murder of Manuel Ellis by our local police department. We make a stand against all racism and we will continue to speak our minds and use our platforms as a positive advocate to change things in our great country. I'm Zach Banner, and I'm against racism."
The team's social justice committee met frequently throughout the offseason, and players can choose to be involved in any of four subcommittees aimed at targeting specific initiatives in the Pittsburgh community, such as voter turnout.
Before a team scrimmage at Heinz Field during training camp, the Steelers linked arms behind Tomlin as he spoke about the team's responsibility to use its platform.
"We are committed to taking action and being a part of the solution to face social injustice and prejudice that we all face, not only in our country, but worldwide. It is our desire to be active participants in the formation of a more perfect union," Tomlin said.
"That being said, we realize recent events are a continued reminder of how far we are from that. We stand before you acknowledging that we are blessed and privileged. But that privilege does not shield us from sadness. This privilege does not shield us from shock or outrage. It does not shield us from fear, fear for our safety, or a loved one or an uncertain future. Beyond being football men, first and foremost we are husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, members of a community. We wanted to pause and share with those that are hurting tonight that we see you, that we hear you, but most importantly we stand with you."
The next day, Heyward and Williams, both heavily involved in the Steelers' social justice initiatives, echoed their coach's words, adding that the team selected Tomlin to deliver the words because of his role in the NFL and "who he is as a person."
"We can't be blind to what's going on," Heyward said. "We've seen too many injustices to be silent. Our communities hurt day in and day out. We're left with the question, 'Why?' As we are held accountable on the field, we want to be accountable off the field, and we feel others should be as well.
"Along with that, we didn't want to just give a statement. We know and understand statements do a lot, but they're not enough. Going forward, we want to have action behind that through our organization and the Steelers and everybody through this. I think we are going to have a lot of change going forward. With that change, we understand it's not going to be done in one day or two days. We want something attainable that's going to be long-lasting, constant and provide a better way for our children as Black men as you see today."