In the wake of the tragic collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin last Monday night when he went into cardiac arrest on the field, the Pittsburgh Steelers were ripped by football fans after a Steelers player celebrated a sack by giving his teammate mock CPR.
Early in the fourth quarter of their game against the Cleveland Browns, with the Steelers leading 28-14, Alex Highsmith of the Steelers sacked Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. As Highsmith lay on the ground after the sack, a teammate rushed over and performed chest compressions on him before lending him a hand to help him stand up.
Steelers players did a mock CPR celebration after their sack of Deshaun Watson. pic.twitter.com/Ocnrdfmvl8
— Dan Zaksheske (@OutkickDanZ) January 8, 2023
Fans blistered the Steelers for the insensitivity shown by the player.
Steelers defense celebrated a sack by performing CPR. Of all weeks… not a great look. Yikes. pic.twitter.com/ZvVPCwS6ya
— Gunz (@TheGunzShow) January 8, 2023
#Steelers are trash for this…pic.twitter.com/l8SvAdNNSw
— Browns Rally Possum (@Browns_Possum) January 9, 2023
I will once again say the Steelers are TRASH pic.twitter.com/KtHCET1P7J
— Stephen (@Scuba_Steve26) January 8, 2023
Shoutout to the Steelers for choosing literally the WORST possible sack celebration this week… pic.twitter.com/MNYB5EqMtI
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) January 8, 2023
One Steelers player may have behaved badly, but last Friday, Levi Wallace, Tre Norwood, Terrell Edmunds, and Cameron Sutton of the Steelers brought armfuls of toys to a daycare center that Hamlin adopted as his project when he played at the University of Pittsburgh.
“It’s just a way that we can give back,” Wallace said. “Just to be able to give back to kids that he works with and his community he loves so much. We’re doing it just to honor him and show our love for him that we’re supporting him here in Pittsburgh. Just hearing the great news that he’s doing better, I think comes just from a grateful place. I’ve seen how hard he works on and off the field and so anything that I could do here in Pittsburgh, I’m here to do.”
“Doing this means a lot to me,” Norwood said. “Damar and I developed a friendship over the past couple of years through football. Being here in Pittsburgh, you see how much the city loves him, how much he gives back to the city. With all his family is going through right now, we just want to help out a little bit. I am smiling because of the good news that he is getting better and still sending prayers to him and his family each and every day.”
“It’s doing anything I can to just show my support,” Edmunds echoed. “That’s my dawg. I had him in my prayers and everything. Any way I can support him or his family, show them that I care and that I’m there for them, I want to do.”
“This is beyond football. It’s bigger than just the game,” Sutton added. “This is truly a brotherhood, regardless, if you know the individual personally or just came in contact with him across the league. D. Ham is affiliated with this community having played here. His foundation, not just his work, but his foundation individually, everything that he has done here, and cities elsewhere as well. Just doing something special as an organization in the sense of giving back, coming together, and just offering a positive uplift. That’s all we can do right now. Just keep doing the right things to push him in the right spirit.”