Zac Celedonia

Troy Polamalu says while he was labeled a first round bust as a rookie, what helped him turn the corner was a Steelers veteran he was drafted to replace teaching him everything he knew, even though helping him succeed would eventually cost him his own job “My rookie year was a challenge. I couldn’t make a play of any significance. I recall reading the newspaper early in the season labeling me a first-round bust. I vowed not to read any sports columns, hoping it would somehow change. Then Mr. Dan Rooney approached me and said, ‘Don’t pay attention to what they’re saying about you. I think you’re doing fine.’ I said, ‘Mr. Rooney, they’re still talking bad about me!?’” “Mike Logan, the starting safety my rookie year, shared his full knowledge of the game wholeheartedly, showing a level of humility that helped shape my career. Like many other teammates, his selflessness paved a greater opportunity for others at his own expense.” “It’s unnatural in the most competitive environment to train your replacement, yet this is our culture, Steeler culture. These virtues I learned while playing for the Steelers are what make the legacy of the Black and Gold timeless. They’re passed down from the Steel Curtain to anyone who valiantly wears the Black and Gold.” “It creates a brotherhood deeper than money, business, and winning. To be a Steeler is to consider others before you consider yourself. You protect your brother, even from himself, and give support at your own expense. And when wearing the black and gold suit of armor make sure nobody desecrates it, disrespects it, and most importantly we ourselves don’t dishonor it. The only approval any Steeler should seek is to earn the approval from previous legends who have dawned the black and gold. And if you’ve really earned their respect, they’ll say, you could have played with us.”