PITTSBURGH — Nobody should blame veteran players, whether on the Steelers or around the league, for boycotting the offseason training activities because of what the players association maintains is lingering concerns about injuries and health related to the COVID-19 virus.
Yes, the world is opening up, schools will be throwing their classroom doors open to students and pretty soon masks won't be mandated. But if the union wants to voice their concerns for the purpose of skipping OTA workouts that are supposed to be voluntary anyway, well, why should anyone object?
After all, there is nothing a veteran player dedicated to his profession is going to gain from two to three weeks of workouts in shorts.
Granted, the offseason program might carry a little more merit this year for the Steelers' offensive players because of the new system and blocking schemes being installed by coordinator Matt Canada. But it is nothing they won't be able to pick up during the seven weeks between the beginning of training camp in late July and the start of the regular season Sept 12.
However, the union should not be telling rookies or first-year players trying to win a roster spot and gain employment in the greatest sports league in the world what to do.
Last month, Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward, the team's player rep, put a message on Twitter that said, "For the ROOKIES and FREE AGENTS, find your vets tell them to get you up to speed. Trust me y'all ain't missing anything you will still get your chance to show your talent in camp when it really matters."
Then he added in another tweet, "Don't let them FEAR you into showing up."
That is fine if the rookie is Najee Harris or Pat Freiermuth or Kendrick Green, top draft choices guaranteed of making the team and seeing lots of playing time.
But if you're Isaiahh Loudermilk or Quincy Roche or Tre Norwood, or an undrafted free agent such as cornerback Shakur Brown, telling them to slow down on their dream of playing in the NFL and put their learning process on hold for another month is just not right.
Maybe the player reps should think back to when they were rookies and eager to win a roster spot, maybe a starting spot. Maybe they should think about what they would have done if a similar type of boycott were suggested to them when they came into the league a decade or so ago.
Veterans don't want to show up for OTAs, don't blame 'em. Training camp is long enough, and so is the new 17-game season.
However, most young players have a hope of playing in the NFL, not a guarantee. Not everyone is Najee Harris.
Don't ask them to do something that could slow that process. Don't ask them to do something that many in the union probably wouldn't have done when they came into the league.
LeBeau presenting Polamalu
Maybe there is a touch of irony that the person responsible for delaying Troy Polamalu's insertion in the Steelers defense is the person who will be presenting him for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Dick LeBeau waited a full season before he entrusted Polamalu to be the starting safety — and eventual big-play component — in his Blitzburgh defense. But he didn't have to wait long to agree to be Polamalu's presenter for induction and having one of the NFL's most dynamic players join him in the Hall of Fame.
Polamalu didn't have to wait a year to get into pro football's most honored fraternity. He was a first-ballot selection like many of the former Steelers players from the halcyon days of the 1970s.
Choosing LeBeau was no surprise at all. He was beloved by his players and looked upon as a father figure as much as he was defensive coordinator. He was respected not just for his knowledge and implementation of the zone blitz, but also for a 14-year playing career in which he finished with 62 interceptions, 10th most in league history.
What's more, though he is soft-spoken and has a homespun twang about him, LeBeau is a tremendous orator who enraptures people with his words and expressions. "He captivates your attention," his long-time friend, basketball coach Bobby Knight, told me in a 2006 interview.
When the interview was over, Knight thanked me for letting him talk about his former Ohio State colleague. That's the regard in which LeBeau is held by those who know him closely, including Polamalu.
Presenters no longer come on stage and introduce the inductee. The Hall of Fame did away with that a number of years ago, presumably because the presenters' speeches were sometimes longer than the player they were introducing. Now they simply narrate a short video of the enshrinee — perfect for TV — and accompany him on stage.
Of course, LeBeau would have likely been on stage anyway, sitting with the rest of the past Hall of Fame inductees, even if he wasn't presenting Polamalu. But listening to him have the freedom to talk live about Polamalu would have been worth the wait.
