Steelers’ lineman surprises team with dissenting choice

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers stressed the need for unity as the team weighed how to properly promote social justice.

It didn’t quite work out that way during their season-opening victory over the New

York Giants, and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva finds himself again in the middle of a difficult conversation about self-expression on a volatile subject.

Three years ago Villanueva — a graduate of West Point and a decorated U.S. Army veteran — found himself standing alone with his hand over his heart as the national anthem played while his teammates remained out of sight in a nearby tunnel. On Monday night, while the rest of his teammates honored Antwon Rose Jr., a Black Pittsburgh teenager shot in the back and killed by a white police officer in 2018 by emblazoning his name on a white strip on the back of their helmets, Villanueva instead chose to honor Alwyn Cashe, a Black soldier who died from injuries suffered in Iraq in 2005.

While Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said Villanueva approached him about the decision before the game, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and defensive tackle Cam Heyward — both captains — admitted they were caught off guard.

“I did not know about Al’s choice for the back of his helmet,” Roethlisberger said. “Obviously, it’s his choice. That’s the amazing thing about the country we live in.”

Tomlin has encouraged his players to speak out and take action if they do so respectfully, guidelines Tomlin believes Villanueva’s decision did not violate.

“We are going to support our players in however they choose to participate and express themselves or to not participate or not express themselves, as long as they do so thoughtfully and with class,” Tomlin said Tuesday.

Rose died in June 2018 after being shot in the back, arm and side of the face by East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld. Rose had been riding in an unlicensed taxi that had been involved in a drive-by shooting minutes earlier when Rosfeld pulled the car over and shot the 17-year-old as he ran away. Rosfeld was charged with homicide but was acquitted in March 2019.

Rose’s mother, Michelle Kenney, took issue with Villanueva’s decision.

“Let me very very very clear,” Kenney wrote in a Facebook post. “The Pittsburgh Steelers took a team vote. Obviously one person didn’t like the results so they chose to do something different. I have nothing against vets and absolutely appreciate everything that they have done and continue to do for us. But this one person showed us exactly who he is and obviously he didn’t approve of how the vote turned out.”

Villanueva, 31, has not spoken to the media since the end of the 2019 regular season.

He is a two-time Pro Bowler who took an unlikely path to the NFL. He served three tours in Afghanistan before joining the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad, eventually making his way to Pittsburgh and a starting job. In 2017, he found himself as an unlikely touchstone on the debate over the merits of protesting during the national anthem when he stood on the turf at Soldier Field with his hand over his heart while his teammates remained out of sight.

Villanueva called the optics of that chaotic afternoon a miscommunication. That wasn’t the case this time. Villanueva wrote Cashe’s name down in black marker on the white tape he used to cover the bottom of his helmet. Cashe was on patrol in Samarra, Iraq, in 2005 when the vehicle he was traveling in struck an improvised explosive device. Cashe suffered severe burns but helped six soldiers inside the vehicle escape safely. He died on Nov. 8, 2005, in Texas.

No member of the Steelers’ organization hinted at any problem with Villanueva’s right to honor Cashe. Heyward hopes that Kenney understands the team remains committed to making a difference not just with high-profile displays on the field, but by their actions off it.

Villanueva