PITTSBURGH — Wouldn't you love to hear Allen Iverson chime in on the latest JuJu Smith-Schuster flap?
"Milk crates. Not a game. Not the game he goes out there and dies for and plays every one like it's his last. Not the game. We're talking about milk crates, man. I mean, how silly is that? We're talkin' 'bout milk crates."
We're talking about milk crates, all right. And while I would have advised JuJu to skip the "milk crate challenge" — a ridiculous viral video contest that has EMTs on alert all over the country — his participation hardly invited the vitriol directed his way.
In case you haven't heard, the challenge is to scale a stack of milk crates and climb back down without maiming yourself. Are people really this bored?
I'm not entirely convinced JuJu performed the first part of the challenge, by the way. The only video I've seen shows him on the way down, beginning one step from the top. He also had a spotter on either side and grass below him, as opposed to concrete. Oh, and he's a professional athlete. The chance of injury here seemed infinitesimal, at best. Way lower than, say, his coach keeping him on the field taking hits into the third quarter of an exhibition game (not that such a thing would ever happen).
Think of it this way: Who had a better chance of incurring injury in the past week — JuJu on milk crates or safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and receiver Chase Claypool throwing barehanded haymakers at each other's helmets during a practice brawl?
Which was the less intelligent and more selfish act?
I'm going with the latter two, but all I hear is JuJu this and JuJu that. I even made the grave mistake of entering a few "comments sections," where I found this kind of drivel:
"This goof just doesn't get it: Mr. Big Chest II."
"You can't fix stupid."
"The Steelers should trade him or cut him before he does something stupid that harms his team or teammates."
Obviously, it would have been a major story if JuJu had slipped on a milk crate and injured himself. And yes, he does some selfish and silly things. His logo dancing was a prime example.
He has some growing up to do. A lot of 24-year-olds fall into that category. You might remember Ben Roethlisberger and the stories he produced in his early NFL career. (And we're talking about milk crates?)
On balance, JuJu delivers way more good than bad. He plays hard and plays hurt. He produces, even when he is reduced to a singles-hitter role. He absorbs major punishment, even when his coach keeps him on the field into the third quarter of an exhibition game. He delivered one of the legendary hits in Steelers history when he laid out the villain Vontaze Burfict — the kind of play one might think would result in a free pass for life, even with a couple of big-game fumbles.
JuJu also turned down more potential money from the Ravens and Chiefs to return for a year. I didn't think that was the wisest choice, but if you're a Steelers fan, did you not find it admirable?
Off the field, I hear only good things. One example: I had a student in my class at Waynesburg University interview the kid JuJu took to the prom a few years ago — Anthony Molinaro of Chartiers Valley, whose date reportedly had just broken up with him. Molinaro said that behind the scenes all he saw was a good-natured, fun-loving dude who stayed well into the night and made sure everybody was included.
Is part of that — and the milk crate challenge — JuJu building his personal brand to make money?
Of course it is. Athletes have been building their brands forever. Joe Namath wore pantyhose in commercials. JuJu plays video games on TikTok and climbs milk crates (or at least climbs down from them).
Maybe make some better choices, but get it while you can, man.
