Sunday, February 23, 2025, 8:59AM |  28°
MENU
Advertisement
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool uses a cell phone to record wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster dancing on the Bengals logo at midfield during warmups Monday, Dec. 20, 2020, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati Ohio.
1
MORE

Joe Starkey: JuJu’s pregame ritual not a federal case, just a massive embarrassment

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Joe Starkey: JuJu’s pregame ritual not a federal case, just a massive embarrassment

Joe Haden’s right. The reliably collapsing Steelers have way bigger problems than JuJu Smith-Schuster dancing on opponents’ logos.

One would be a secondary that allowed several Bengals behind it Monday night. Good for them that Ryan Finley couldn’t take full advantage because he can’t … well, he can’t throw.

Another would be a compromised run defense that made Finley look like Michael Vick. (That untouched, 23-yard touchdown run shall live in infamy, somewhere behind Terelle Pryor’s untouched, 93-yard scamper but not many others in the category called “Ridiculous Quarterback Touchdown Runs Allowed by Steelers.”)

Advertisement

The biggest problem would be a broken offense that features a quarterback aging faster than Steve Carell in “Evan Almighty,” a line that is truly offensive and a group of receivers that leads the NFL in drops.

Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt pressures Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, a thrilling win that sent the locker room into a frenzy after the game.
Brian Batko
Steelers mailbag: Why off-field and social media antics might actually matter

That group still includes JuJu. You wouldn’t know it, though, by some of his paltry game totals, including 15 yards on three catches Monday. He went for more yards backward on that monster hit from Vonn Bell, than he did forward.

Once a power guy, JuJu is now a singles hitter. The proof is in his cringeworthy yards-per-catch average. I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth mentioning again because it’s still true: JuJu has fallen below the dreaded Hines Line.

Explainer: Hines Ward — who belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — could barely walk in his final season (2011) and after recording double digits in yards-per-catch all his career, saw the number shrink to 176th in the NFL that season, at an almost unfathomable 8.3.

Advertisement

JuJu’s at 8.2.

That is barely half his rookie-year figure, which he followed with 12.8 and 13.1 the next two seasons. Maybe the Steelers could make better use of a guy with two 97-yard touchdowns to his credit, or maybe JuJu really has become a singles hitter at age 24 (and maybe the logo dancing is a way to get some extra cardio in).

So yes, the Steelers have actual football issues and many of them. But Haden was wrong in letting JuJu off the hook with that Tuesday tweet, which in part read like this: “My dawg @TeamJuJu dancing is the LEAST of our problems!”

First, be sure the Steelers would take great exception if somebody danced or stomped or spiked a football on their logo. Silly or not, that’s the way athletes roll. Disrespect, perceived and real, is everywhere.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster makes catch and run for a touchdown against the Texans Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Ray Fittipaldo/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Steelers put an end to JuJu Smith-Schuster's pregame TikTok-ing

Just a few weeks ago, the Ravens and Titans almost had a pregame brawl over the Titans stomping on the Ravens logo.

Switching to hockey, the Penguins are liable to call the police if a reporter accidentally sets a toe on their carpeted locker-room logo.

Much as I like Haden, I’ll defer to the great Rod Woodson on this matter.

Woodson, on “The Rich Eisen Show,” referred to the logo as “sacred ground.” He also believes a JuJu-like display could give a team “added motivation to play even harder.” I’m not sure about that, but it could absolutely spark a pregame altercation — it’s headed that way — which could impact the game in the form of penalties or ejections.

Basically, it’s unnecessary, disrespectful and selfish.

And massively embarrassing.

How did you feel, as a Steelers fan, watching Monday Night Football with 12.7 million others when ESPN ran rapid-fire clips of JuJu spiking the ball on the Bengals logo and JuJu getting lit up like a Christmas tree?

Make ya proud?

Someday, maybe, JuJu will be embarrassed by this. I sure hope so. The guy has too much going for him. He plays hard. He helps all kinds of people. He has a big heart. It’s a shame somebody in that room — notably Ben Roethlisberger or Maurkice Pouncey — hasn’t pulled him aside to tell him how foolish this looks. Or maybe they have and he didn’t want to hear it.

It’s absurd that Mike Tomlin has to answer questions about a player dissing opponents in order to boost his TikTok profile, which in turn boosts his bank account.

There is nothing wrong, obviously, with using social media to boost your brand. It isn’t new that professional athletes want as much money and fame as possible.

But why use the other team’s logo?

It’s equally absurd that Tomlin has to say, like a parent, “I do plan to talk to JuJu.”

How does JuJu not cringe when he hears his coach utter those words in public?

How is he not mortified?

This is an adult we’re talking about. And like Tomlin said, it’s about respect. You don’t intentionally show up an opponent before a game, especially when you’re averaging 8.2 yards per catch.

The Steelers have enough problems.

Joe Star­key: jstar­key@post-ga­zette.com and Twit­ter @jo­e­star­key1. Joe Star­key can be heard on the “Cook and Joe” show week­days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.

Go to section

First Published: December 23, 2020, 2:29 p.m.

RELATED
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) drops back in the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020.
Gerry Dulac
Gerry Dulac's 2020 NFL picks: Week 16
Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool picks up a first down against the Bengals Monday, Dec. 20, 2020, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
Brian Batko
No ‘sweeping changes’ ahead for Steelers as Mike Tomlin digests three-game skid
Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool drops touchdown pass against the Bengals in the third quarter Monday, Dec. 20, 2020, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati Ohio.
Gerry Dulac
Gerry Dulac: Steelers suddenly staring at grim history
Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers jogs to the locker room during halftime at Paul Brown Stadium on Dec. 21, 2020, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Joe Starkey
Joe Starkey: If you’re not worried about Ben Roethlisberger now, you’re not watching
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looks for wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Paul Zeise
Paul Zeise: Father Time has sacked Steelers' dream season and Ben Roethlisberger’s last hurrah
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Benny Snell stiff arms Ravens outside linebacker L.J. Fort on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Ray Fittipaldo and Brian Batko
Steelers notebook: Bengals delighted in dominating Steelers offense
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger reacts after watching a replay on the scoreboard in the final minute of play against the Bengals on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ray Fittipaldo
Ray Fittipaldo’s Steelers report card: Ben Roethlisberger’s play dragging offense down
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger reacts after watching a replay on the scoreboard in the final minute of play against the Bengals on Monday, Dec. 20, 2020, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Paul Zeise
Paul Zeise: The best path for the Steelers is to ask Ben Roethlisberger to throw less and manage the game more
SHOW COMMENTS (51)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
1
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
Pirates outfielder DJ Stewart gets congratulations from teammates after his home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of the Grapefruit League season at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
2
sports
5 takeaways from Pirates' spring training victory over Orioles
A new report advises retirees in 2025 to aim for just 3.7% when withdrawing from savings -- down from 4%. Over a 30-year retirement, that could mean the difference between financial security or outliving your cash in your 80s or 90s, financial experts say.
3
business
How much can retirees safely withdraw from their nest eggs? Financial experts weigh in.
Preston Coleman, 52, was beaten and strangled inside an Aliquippa VFW on Jan. 5, 2025, in what police described as a vicious, unprovoked attack.
4
news
Bartender working at Aliquippa VFW during beating that left man unconscious facing charges
York County District Attorney Timothy J. Barker reacts during a news conference regarding the shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
5
news
Police officer killed, gunman dead in shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool uses a cell phone to record wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster dancing on the Bengals logo at midfield during warmups Monday, Dec. 20, 2020, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati Ohio.  (Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story