Until COVID-19 hit, the Steelers had a 54-year streak of holding training camp at Saint Vincent College. Now, the pandemic is forcing them into another streak.
For the second consecutive summer, the team will stay in Pittsburgh rather than make their once-annual sojourn to the Latrobe area. Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten announced the news Thursday morning.
Statement from #Steelers Spokesman Burt Lauten on #SteelersCamp pic.twitter.com/vZl3zPbmZq
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 24, 2021
“We are disappointed we wont be holding our 2021 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. We were prepared to safely host training camp on campus with fans, but unfortunately our plan was not approved due to the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols,” Lauten’s statement reads.
The team will instead hold practices between UPMC Rooney Sports Complex — the Steelers’ headquarters on the South Side — and Heinz Field, where they held last year’s training camp. There will be “a select number of practices” at Heinz Field for fans to attend, with those plans being detailed at a later date once the team’s schedule is finalized.
“We appreciate the support of Saint Vincent College and the Latrobe community, and we look forward to returning to campus in 2022,” Lauten said.
The Steelers aren’t the only team being forced to eschew tradition. Elsewhere in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills decided on their own to skip traveling to St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y., and stay at their team headquarters for camp “due to the complexities of the NFL's current COVID-19 health protocols in place.”
But as recently as Wednesday, the Chiefs were cleared to return to Missouri Western State University, about an hour from Kansas City, for their training camp — and it will be open to fans. Earlier this month, the Cowboys were approved to resume holding training camp at a facility in Oxnard, Calif., and it, too, will be open to the public.
The Cowboys, who will play the Steelers in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 5, even have all their dates set for camp on location. They’ll report to Southern California July 20, then begin practicing two days later. Look for the Steelers to have a similar, if not identical, schedule — although coach Mike Tomlin said last week he was still waiting for clarity on his calendar.
For what it’s worth, Missouri Western State’s campus is nearly 500 acres larger than Saint Vincent’s, and has about 3,000 more students. Saint Vincent is much more similar to the usual Bills site, so lack of space might have been the primary hold-up for both the Steelers and Bills to visit their small-college campuses for camp. The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: June 24, 2021, 1:21 p.m.
Updated: June 24, 2021, 3:34 p.m.