The Pittsburgh Steelers chose to wear the name of Antwon Rose Jr., a Black teenager killed by Pittsburgh police in 2018, on the backs of their helmets for the entire 2020 season — but one player went rouge and put a different name on his helmet Monday night, which came as a surprise to some teammates.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ lineman Alejandro Villanueva wore the name of a fallen Army hero on his helmet during Monday night’s game against the New York Giants, effectively breaking away from the team’s decision.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe died in 2005 after attempting to rescue fellow soldiers from a burning vehicle following a roadside bomb in Samarra, Iraq, on Oct. 17th. He suffered second- and third-degree burns over 70 percent of his body, eventually succumbing to those injuries on November 5th.
On Thursday, the Steelers sent out a staement on the situation:
Villanueva, a former Army Ranger, covered up Rose’s name and wrote Cashe’s name in its place. Villanueva had informed coach Mike Tomlin about the change, but his teammates were caught off guard.
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The mother of Antwon Rose was not happy with his decision.
