Steelers Tried to Get Stephon Tuitt Back

The Pittsburgh Steelers knew a return to the locker room would cure a lot for Stephon Tuitt.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers hoped Stephon Tuitt returned for the 2022 season, but they also understood there was a chance he wasn't playing again. 

"It was kind of a surprise to me. We all kind of knew one way or another," teammate Isaiahh Loudermilk said. "I'm just happy that he made a good choice for himself and his family. I'm definitely going to miss him, I know the guys are going to miss him."

But when crunch time hit, and Tuitt made the decision to walk away from the NFL and begin the next chapter of his life - one year removed from the tragic death of his brother, and with a new degree from Notre Dame - his teammates tried to let him know football might still be the answer.

Cam Heyward, who's played alongside Tuitt since the defensive end was drafted in 2014, said he certainly gave his opinion but was happy with Tuitt's decision to retire. 

"I don't think I had to convince him," Heyward said. "My main thing was, you get in the locker room, you feel the brotherhood and you feel everyone is here for you. It wasn't just myself. Tyson [Alualu], coach [Karl] Dunbar, Mike [Tomlin], Kevin [Colbert]. We all went out of our way to make sure he knew that."

Even Tyson Alualu mentioned that he felt the locker room was a safe place Tuitt could heal in. But ultimately, if their former teammate is at peace, they're happy. 

"As an athlete, as a football player, this kind of becomes our safe haven from a lot of things outside this locker room and we just wanted to get him around the guys so that he could lean on them when he was going through some of those tough times," Alualu said. "He had a lot of things going on with himself and his family so we knew what he was taking care of. We were looking forward to getting him back, but like I said, if he’s good then we’re good.”

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