Steelers to Honor Antwon Rose Jr. on Helmets
PITTSBURGH -- On June 19, 2018, 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. was shot and killed by an East Pittsburgh police officer. A story that sparked protests throughout the city, Rose has been a symbol of change in Pittsburgh for two years.
Rose, who was black, was the passenger in a car that was pulled over in suspicion of an incident that occurred earlier that day. While police were handcuffing the driver, Rose fled from the scene. In a video from a neighbor, East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld is seen firing three shots at the back of Rose as he runs.
The NFL has continued to move forward with plans in support of ending racism and police brutality throughout the country. Teams entered Week 1 of the 2020 season with names of police brutality and words of hope on their helmets, lined the endzones with "End Racism" and "It Takes All of Us," and added the Black National Anthem to their pregame schedule.
The Pittsburgh Steelers started Monday off by joining together to post pictures with words to end racism. "Tonight, we as a team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, will unite and show we are all against racism," players wrote.
Wide receiver James Washington and cornerback Steven Nelson made it known on Friday that the team had plans to show support. All they'd say is that they would all stand up together.
Now, the team has announced another how they'll demonstrate in unity. The Steelers will wear 'Antwon Rose Jr.' stickers on the back of their helmets in remembrance of the 17-year-old's story.
"When you think about Antwon Rose's story, we don't want to ever let his legacy go away," defensive captain Cam Heyward told Steelers team writer, Teresa Varley. "That kid had a bright future and he was taken away too early. We see all of these things happening across our country now. This hit home."
Rose was an honor student at Woodland Hills High School. His mother, Michelle Kenney, continues to work within the Pittsburgh community to form a more promising relationship between city police and Pittsburgh communities.
Last week, she received a phone call from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to tell her the team wanted to honor Rose this season.
"Being on the phone and hearing that the sports team right here in my city wants to represent my son and tell his story, there are no words for that," Kenney told Varley. "I wish I could give you something nice to write, but you can't express that. You hear Mike Tomlin's voice on television, and I am not saying he is a superhero, but you hear him on television. I am holding the phone and I know it's him, but I just couldn't believe the words I was hearing.
"To get a call, with Mike Tomlin on the phone, to tell me he has two sons and he worries too. He said the team took a vote and they decided to do it. He told me he understood. He told me he worries about his kids. My thought was if he is worried about his kids, then everybody has to worry.
"Then to say we are going to support you. We want you to be involved in what we are doing. There are no words to describe that. I am just Antwon's mom. This situation comes with a whole lot of pain. I mean a lot of pain."
The Steelers lined the sideline during one of their training camp scrimmages to have Mike Tomlin speak on the team's thoughts towards ending racism. Veterans Heyward and Vince Williams addressed the media last month to share their plans on putting words into action for change. Now, the Steelers are using a story from their own community to express their desire for equality.
"We understand we can't bring back the loved ones we've lost. All we can do is try to prevent more," Heyward said. "We know there are great people who are police and are involved in their communities. But all we can do is try to improve that. We want to have better relationships, so it's never escalated. We don't want to lose any more of our loved ones. Hopefully we can say in the future Antwon Rose's story changed the narrative and the hearts of many people."
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
